I have been working at the surgery for around 8 months and discovered an unused garden space. The surgery agreed to let me turn it into a garden for patients and staff but they had no budget for it so we tried to do it for free. Since February this year Hackney City Farm have been giving us a member of staff (Rita) for free to come and help myself and some patient volunteers to turn the weed filled patch into a beautiful garden, and we have managed (mostly) to do the whole thing with reclaimed, recycled or donated things. We have now cleared the whole place of weeds, created beds, planted many flowers, herbs and vegetables and created a compost system. We have several volunteers who have a range of physical and mental health issues and the garden has been really helpful for people who regularly attend the GP surgery, want to improve their wellbeing but lack the confidence to go to a community project they don't know. We are bring the community feeling into the surgery instead!

What we'll deliver:

• fit benches on the paving
• build a tool shed to store tools
• pave the seating area

Why it's a great idea:

Because it is a way of reaching the most vulnerable, isolated people in society who can benefit the most from community gardening but who do not have the confidence to go to a new place.

Steps to get it done:

Rita is no longer able to assist with the garden due to commitments at the farm and the surgery have no available money to assist us with the continuation of it. There is currently no seating area so patients cannot spend much time out there. Overall the garden design is not fully complete but the things we need to make it fully functional are quite expensive.