A Garden For Better Mental Health

Rookery Gardens equips people struggling with mental health issues to live independently and fulfil their potential.

Run by Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Birmingham Mind, Rookery Gardens houses up to 25 people at the heart of a community. Supported by expert psychologists and occupational therapists, service users are given the skills, knowledge and resources to flourish. It is a place of hope, recovery and community, and it changes lives.

As RHS students, we took the opportunity to enter the Beautiful Border competition at Gardeners World Live 2023. Created as a woodland escape themed border- ‘Wander and Wonder’. The border has been designed in a way which can both raise awareness of mental health issues, and benefit those who struggle with them. We’d love you to come and see it at the show if you are there!

Gardens and gardening can massively benefit people's mental health and wellbeing. Therefore, at the end of the event (after winning ‘Best in Show’?!), the ‘Wander and Wonder’ border will be given a permanent home at Rookery Gardens, with the aim to help service users engage in gardening and aid their recovery. We hope it will be a sanctuary for people to escape to, and a space which brings people together.

25 handcrafted ceramic snails have been commissioned and will feature as part of the border. Each represents one of the 25 homes at Rookery Gardens and the minimum number of lives that will be positively affected through the project. Your donation no matter how big or small will make such a difference, so thank you. Snails home after show tbc.

We are aiming to raise £5,000.

This will cover the costs of building the border and the costs of transporting it to Rookery Gardens after the show. We are trying to keep costs down with support from suppliers, which means any money not used for the border and transportation costs will be donated to Birmingham Mind and Caring Minds ( BSMHFT Trust Charity)

Could you help reach our £5,000 target? We would be really grateful for any support you give, and can guarantee it will make a huge difference to those struggling with mental health. Thank you.

Birmingham Mind 24/7 mental health helpline offers crisis telephone support, signposting, advice and guidance.