Growing Sudley CIC is a Therapeutic Garden project in Liverpool. We work around health, wellbeing and play through nature, providing activities for all members of the community.
Since 2017 we've brought an abandoned walled garden and derelict council Changing Rooms building back to life, as low carbon ecological community assets and models of best practice in greenspace management and partnership.
The community surrounding the garden consists of a very high proportion of elders, people with disabilities and long-term health conditions, and families with young children. In response to widespread, deep and collaborative consultations and participatory design processes, the garden has developed into a resource providing therapeutic nature based services and activities to support community health and wellbeing.
The idea of making the project into a community business rather than a charity was driven by a desire to be sustainable for the future and not be a drain on precious local resources. We provide free and funded services to many communities of need, but also create earned income to maintain and develop the site.
Since 2017, driven by volunteers, the Growing Sudley team have built up a mix of free and paid for activities serving the needs of local people from wards within a few miles of the garden. We run a wide range of activities including Forest School holiday clubs for children, Therapeutic Forest for children with Autism and other adverse experiences, Therapeutic Gardening sessions for adults with learning disabilities, brain conditions and stroke survivors, weekly Tai Chi and community activities such as forest bathing, foraging and herb walks. We currently work with around 200 people a week.
The capital project to refurbish and develop the changing rooms building as a Therapy and Wellbeing Centre has been very challenging but is almost complete. The building provides an income stream for long-term sustainability and supports the development of the garden into an accessible and inspirational outdoor healing space. The refurbishment has used renewable energy systems and natural building materials in order to become a low carbon building for the future of people and planet. The building will be open very soon, with just a few finishing touches to complete.
