The Hidden Gardens is an urban greenspace located in Glasgow’s Southside. We work to promote community engagement, understanding and trust between people from all backgrounds through horticulture, creativity and collaboration. The Gardens are located between the neighbourhoods of Govanhill and Pollokshields, Scotland’s most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods. Our vision is of a society where people live, play, learn, participate and celebrate together.
We are delighted to be funded by Impact Funding Partners through the Promoting Equality & Cohesion fund and Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow fund, Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership. Both enable us to deliver programmes, activities and events that aim to increase local people’s health and wellbeing, bring people from all walks of life together and provide opportunities for learning through arts and nature. These include a weekly outdoor tai chi class, a rolling 10 week Women’s Cultural Cookery group, weekend wildlife learning events, as well as larger scale one off events such as a Father’s Day Extravaganza.
A fantastic example of the impact of the funding is our Men’s Group which has been funded by the Wellbeing for Longer fund since 2018. It is a weekly activity based group delivered in partnership with the Glasgow Mental Health Network who provide a brilliant facilitator, Stephen. The aim of the group is to help participants sustain and improve their health and wellbeing. Activities are chosen by the group and are a great mix from cooking and foraging to mindfulness and trips (last year we went to the Glasgow Science Centre). There are also opportunities to volunteer at The Hidden Gardens community events and find out about local activities.
We currently have about 13 men attending per session, and with a much larger core group of regular attendees. Most find out about it through referral organisations such as Carr Gomm, Glasgow Disability Alliance and the NHS. The funding also enabled us to develop a volunteering opportunity last year with two men providing peer support.
Feedback from the group shows the positive impact it has on their wellbeing and social life; “Mindfulness helped me to relax. MOT4Men made me think more about my physical health.”“Being in a safe place & having a laugh.” “Sharing with other people. Improve my mood. Learning other skills and other things from others. Don’t feel so isolated.” “The Hidden Gardens were beneficial to me for my wellbeing. Meeting & talking to very interesting people from all walks of life, and it’s good to know that you have support to help you get there in life.”
Impact Funding Partners have supported The Hidden Gardens Trust more broadly by strengthening our team’s skills and widening our networks. We are active participants in two cluster groups which provide opportunities for knowledge sharing and we access the high quality free training provided.
A huge thank you from all at The Hidden Gardens! We really appreciate all the support you have given us.
Find out more about The Hidden Gardens on our website and follow us on Facebook for updates on activities.