Horticulture Workshop

• Seasonal tasks
• Growing fruit and vegetables from seed, to be sold and used in the café
• Producing plants for the garden centre
• Maintaining and weeding the gardens
• Tasting and sampling fruit and vegetables that the Artmakers have grown
• Christmas wreath making
• Garden mosaics

Studies have shown that gardening helps to reduce stress, promote wellbeing and self esteem, and has a positive impact on mental health. It also encourages physical health and exercise.

We work as a team, with the Artmakers making many of the decisions and design suggestions. We have a great sense of achievement.

We work at different levels for each Artmaker, including use of tools, jobs completed in the gardens, watching and caring for the various plants grown from seeds to the different stages of the plants lifecycle. The Artmakers are expected to undertake many jobs in the gardens, poly tunnels etc, in line with their independence skills.

We use a range of communication methods such as; verbal, Makaton, finger spelling and visual communication as required.

The biggest impact this workshop has on our Artmakers is that it gives them a sense of achievement and wellbeing, as well as teaching them how to work together as a team. Every day, this workshop offers the Artmakers a different challenge to overcome together with the team.