Growing Health
A project by Garden Organic and Sustain to see how community food growing can be routinely used by the health and social care services as a way of promoting health and wellbeing.
Getting food growing commissioned: A tool kit
Commissioning
Useful guides to give you an overview of how commissioning works providing your project with background information to help you get commissioned.
Evidence
A summary of the evidence and factsheets showing how food growing can improve health and wellbeing for certain population groups.
Case studies
Examples of current projects which use food growing in the community to provide a health benefit and have been commissioned to provide this service.
Measurement and evaluation
From the outset of any project it is a good idea to set aims and outcomes for the group and individuals.
Beacon reports
These are case studies that have established, or are building relationships, with the local health service, including Public Health, CCGs and/or Social Service Departments. We have been able to identify and explore the key success factors for developing these relationships and share the lessons learnt.
This report highlights the findings of a short piece of research undertaken with community gardens and food growing projects in London, to create a snapshot of how Social Prescribing is perceived, how garden leaders are or want to be engaging with these services and how to overcome the barriers to more people being referred to garden-based activities.
Sydenham Garden provides green care, nature-based activities and arts and crafts for different client groups including adult mental health and people for early stage dementia.
Brighton and Hove Food Partnership Dementia Friendly Food Project
The commissioned funding covers two 8-week cookery courses per year and two 12-week gardening groups per year for people with mild to moderate dementia and their carers.
Growing Health aims to
- Draw together and highlight evidence of the benefits of food growing for physical and mental health and general wellbeing for different patient groups and individuals.
- Develop case studies with projects that use food growing for a health benefit or in a healthcare setting, especially those who have direct links with the NHS and healthcare professionals who use it as part of their practice.
- Explore how food growing can be integrated into the new NHS commissioning and public health structures, examining barriers and opportunities.
- Provide information that will allow food growing to be routinely commissioned and patients to be referred to community food growing as an effective form of health and social care.
@growing_health
FacebookHelp us promote community food growing, for health, across the UK
Growing Health is looking to recruit active champions to support the project’s mission and for being an advocate for the health and wellbeing benefits of community food growing.
Help & resources
For further information please click on the links below:
News
Publications
Therapeutic Gardening
The Brighton & Hove Food Partnership helps people get involved with community gardens across Brighton & Hove. Anyone can join drop-in and there are specialist programmes for people with additional needs. 60% of garden volunteers report significant improvements in well-being.
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