Funding success helps deliver development plan
Ridgeline is delighted to have received grants of £2,500 from Berkshire Community Foundation and £5,000 from the Mars GoodnessKNOWS Programme.
The grants will help us to fund our 3-Year Development Plan (2018-21), which aims to expand our horticultural therapy service to reach more clients, and improve our effectiveness in delivering our service.
“Our clients enjoy the opportunity to develop their skills in the safe and beautiful garden here at Ridgeline,” commented our horticultural therapist, Amanda Almeida. “They enjoy physical exercise and social interaction, which boost their confidence and relieve stress. The 3-Year Development Plan is a great initiative to expand what we offer to a greater variety of clients.”
There is increasing evidence reported in professional literature and the press on the benefits of green spaces and the value of gardening to our health and well-being, providing physical, psychological, social and environmental benefits to those attending regularly. (click here to read the King’s Fund Report on the impact of gardening therapy, published in 2016).
Our Chair of Trustees, Graham Johnson, said “We are grateful to Berkshire Community Foundation and the Mars GoodnessKNOWS Programme for supporting our project to expand the services offered by Ridgeline. This helps us meet the local need identified in Berkshire Vital Signs Reports (2018 & 2019) for greater support and services for people experiencing poor mental health, isolation or loneliness”.
