Our accessible therapeutic wellbeing garden, located in the rural town of Petworth, West Sussex, has been supporting the community since 2005. Created by the community, for the community, the garden began with a simple yet powerful mission – to provide free, fresh organic fruit and vegetables to local people with limited means. Over the years we’ve grown into a registered charity offering social and therapeutic horticulture for individuals experiencing economic hardship, social isolation, disability, physical and mental ill health and social disadvantage. Our beautiful wheelchair-accessible garden is home to inclusive, friendly, and non-judgemental groups for people of all ages and abilities.
“Thank you for your goodness and kindness to me this past year. The opportunities you gave me changed and possibly saved my life. Before gardening and Men's shed groups, I felt lost. I've never known such nice people as you. Thank you for everything.”
Our mission is to promote well-being, inclusion and skill development and support those living in economic hardship in Petworth and West Sussex through therapeutic horticulture, rural crafts and eco-friendly practices, fostering community integration and environmental stewardship.
Through our groups and community outreach we aim to:
This inclusive community group welcomes all ages and abilities, offering supported ‘grow your own’ opportunities through organic gardening sessions led by our Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH) practitioner. Sessions are tailored to the needs and abilities of members, who include individuals with learning or physical disabilities, additional needs, neurodivergency, mental and physical health challenges, older adults, low-income families, children and young people.
Our community garden workshop offers supported woodwork and rural craft sessions led by our Men’s Shed Coordinator. These sessions are tailor-made for retired, vulnerable, disabled, unemployed, or isolated men of all ages and abilities, building friendship, skills, confidence and self-esteem while reducing social isolation. The beautiful crafts made are sold at local events, with proceeds reinvested into the project.
This session provides a quieter environment enabling people to enjoy the social, health and wellbeing benefits of therapeutic horticulture in a friendly, non-judgmental, beautiful community space. The bespoke therapy programmes help those with mental health support needs, using the garden to enhance health and wellbeing and nourish recovery.
We offer hands-on sessions where people learn how to prepare, cook and enjoy meals made from our harvest. The aim is to complete the cycle from seed, to produce, to plate, so that participants can create delicious low-cost meals from fresh seasonal organic fruit and vegetables.
In response to the cost-of-living crisis, we run a community outreach project delivering fresh bread donated by a local artisan bakery SØDT, and seasonal produce from our garden and partner organisations to families referred by Petworth Food Bank.
We offer supported volunteer placements that help individuals build confidence, develop transferable skills and gain valuable experience for the workplace.
We turn our garden harvest into delicious jams, chutneys and preserves sold at local events to raise funds that directly support our projects.
We warmly invite you to get involved:
