BBC2’s Gardeners World portrays how gardens aid recovery from mental illnesses
BY TOBY PORTER
toby@slpmedia.co.uk
One of TV’s biggest cult audiences will turn its spotlight onto a charity mental health garden tonight. BBC2’s Gardeners’ World airs a portrait of Sydenham Garden tonight at 9pm.
The long-running show, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, will show how the garden helps its clients and staff with their recovery.
It is presented by horticultural boffin Flo Headlam, herself a former pupil of Sydenham Girls’ School, who spent time with the garden’s co-workers – its beneficiaries who have been referred to the staff – and asking about the difference horticulture has made to their health and how it has helped them in their recovery.
Director Thomas Gallagher said: “As a small charity the publicity is really helpful.
We rely on donations, we rely on people attending our events, and so any attention to our cause will really help.
But the attention also serves to highlight the need. Mental ill health affects one in four of us and can be devastating.
Through our work people recover and live well.
This film will hopefully give people a chance to see mental ill health as something that can happen to any of us, but that there is hope.”
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