News / Bristol
Mental Health Awareness Week: planting sunshine in St Jude’s
“It means everything to me now,” says Jayne, a former rough sleeper, about the scheme that gave her a reason to get up in the morning and helped turn her life around.
After spending almost four years living homeless on the streets, the once-reluctant gardener sought help from St Mungo’s in Bristol and through the charity’s Putting Down Roots group, managed to learn new skills, make friends and seize back control.
Sitting with a smile in Champion Square on Monday, Jayne was happy to share her story over a cup of tea and give her own account of how getting involved in a simple task, such as planting a seed, can help people to reconnect with the community, generate positivity and improve mental well being.
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St Jude’s resident Sahayb Hashi (4) got stuck into a spot of pot decorating while dad, Rashid, looked on.
To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, St Mungo’s hosted the event in the heart of St Jude’s which saw people, young and old, from all walks of life, join together to decorate a pot, munch some biscuits, plant a seed and spread some sunflower joy.
Rubyjo Narbey, of Putting Down Roots, says gardening in a public space also helps to combat the stigma of homelessness and mental health.
“It’s therapeutic, people really love it,” said Rubyjo Narbey, who runs the Putting Down Roots (PDR) project in the city and was overseeing the session in Champion Square, that also worked to raise awareness of mental health and support available.
“PDR is a teaching programme, but the idea is to get people out if they are suffering with depression, or have issues with alcohol or drugs. It gets them away from their homes and out of the isolation. People come along and they are challenging themselves, learning and building friendships.
“Also, doing it in a public space helps to break down barriers. Today, people have stopped by and planted a seed. They might be planting seeds for the first time if they don’t have their own garden. It’s about getting people to connect in the community.”
She added that there is strong evidence to show that connecting and communicating with people and developing healthy relationships can promote a positive mental wellbeing.
The PDR initiative was launched in Bristol four years ago and is open to people who are homeless or vulnerably housed and offers the opportunity for them to gain an accredited horticulture qualification.
Jayne Porter and Sally Henry became friends through Bristols Putting Down Roots group.
Jayne Porter, has been involved for about two years and admits she started off as a reluctant gardener, but has now got 78 plants and credits PDR with helping her transform her life, adding it has even brought her closer to her sons.
Her friend Sally Henry added: “The thing with gardening is we see something at the end of the day, you can have a bare piece of land and then transform it into a garden.”
Magda Mosy seized the chance to help spread some sunshine in Champion Square.
Bristol resident Magda Mosy was one of the many passers-by in Champion Square who stopped off to get involved in planting some sunshine. “It’s a really nice thing to do,” she said.
“You get some fresh air and everybody’s lovely, plus, there are biscuits.”
Bristol24/7 will be featuring a series of articles throughout Mental Health Awareness Week.
Read more: Bristol to mark Mental Health Awareness Week
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