On a sunny September day about thirty eager Growing Ability gardeners, staff and volunteers went on an exciting adventure to The Cambridge Botanic Gardens. This is how the day unfolded… as told by Freya, one of our GA volunteers and now our Content & Engagement Coordinator.
The day commenced with a grey, rainy, day; yet to our luck, the sunshine broke into the sky as we arrived, leaving us with a warm sunny day at the Botanic Gardens. We started with a coffee and a cake, letting our gardeners settle in. We have many different gardeners with varying needs. Yet each person was supported with their access needs, such as being wheelchair friendly and welcoming support dogs. The staff at Cambridge make our group feel warm and welcome. We have been to Cambridge Botanical Gardens many times, feeling relaxed and joyful in the environment.
This is a lovely day out, we are surrounded by beautiful grounds and diverse plants. It’s a scenic and calm space; we spotted butterflies and explored the area. Here, we got up to some tree hugging and ventured into the glasshouses which is one of my favourite parts, due to the diversity of climates and plants.
We stopped for some lunch, where we had great food and yummy salads from the café, or people brought their own packed lunch in. From there, we secretly got our Project Manager Hayley a chocolate cake and celebrated her birthday! After some very full tummies, we explored the rose garden, raced around the maze and leisurely made our way to the gift shop.
These days out exploring are extremely important for those with additional needs. As through support, our gardeners are given the opportunity to be somewhere new or familiar, whilst hanging out with their friends or forming new bonds. They look forward to these outings so much!
This is what makes our Growing Ability programme so special. It allows adults with cognitive differences to form community, strengthen their independence, learn new skills and be in touch with nature. A day out at the Botanic Gardens is a strong reflection of our organisation’s intention and impact.
If you have support needs or know someone who may be interested, and are thinking of joining Growing Ability, please get in touch with Hayley via our contact us page.
If you are good with people, are fit and able, with some time to spare… You may be the perfect volunteer for the project. If you would like to know more, please contact Hayley.
Thank you to our staff, volunteers and gardeners for making this happen.
Thank you also to the team at Cambridge University Botanic Gardens for being so accommodating.