The idea
MindFood help people tackle stress, depression and anxiety naturally, by teaching food-growing and tips and techniques to improve wellbeing. It is often a huge step for people to come to us for help and support, and we would like to weather-proof our offer to make that first visit (and successive ones) a little easier to contemplate.
We built our own geodesic dome about 5 years ago and it’s edging towards the end of its natural life, letting in the rain in places and the wood is starting to rot. We would love to replace it so that we can provide a comfortable leak-proof space for seed-sowing and as a mini nursery for all our young plants.
Also we would like to upgrade the pergola for the grape vines we grow, for more shade on sunny days. We looking to build a frame that’s strong enough to support a sail shade or awning over our seating area.
And finally, we would like to buy reclaimed wooden planks to replace rotten raised beds, then woodchip all the areas around them.
What we'll deliver
- A new geodesic dome
- A new pergola
- New raised beds
- Woodchip area around raised beds
Why it's a great idea
By upgrading this growing site it will be easier to encourage more people to come to us for help with stress, anxiety and depression. In the UK, 1 in 4 people struggle with a mental health problem in any given year, and in London nearly 1 in 2 admit to being more anxious than they feel they can handle. Reconnecting people with nature has been evidenced to improve people’s mental health, but until they reconnect, many assume that being out in all weathers is not for them. This can make signing up for sessions in winter quite a leap of faith, and yet it is exactly the time of year that they need us most.
All our courses are free, and there’s no waiting time to join - we have capacity to help many more people. Over 90% people feel calmer as a result of coming to MindFood. In addition, teaching people how to grow their own food (and take some home!) means that people are eating more healthily, and learning about the environment and sustainability too.
Steps to get it done
- Buying the wood for the raised beds and the pergola
- Replacing rotten raised beds
- Purchasing geodesic dome
- Organising volunteer day for building dome
- Open day to combine with a mental health awareness day eg May or Oct
To find out more about what we do, please visit www.mindfood.org.uk or to sign up for our free 6-session Growing Wellbeing course, email Lucy at [email protected]
