'Eden Project mental health programme put me on road to recovery'

When most people think of the Eden Project, they picture the distinctive biomes or remember fondly a day spent wandering through the intense humidity of one of the world's largest indoor rainforests. What they may not know is that, alongside the exotic flora and fauna, there are quiet gardens in the Cornwall site's Outer Estate where the charity has pioneered a transformative mental health programme.

For a few hours each day, locals who have self-referred or been put in touch by a GP, social prescriber or hospital come to share a cup of tea and help with tasks such as sowing seeds or tending vegetable patches. It may sound simple, but the opportunity has been life-changing for participants like Roger Boniface, 61, a veteran who served for nine years as an aircraft electrician on a field helicopter squadron. He suffered spinal damage from heavy lifting in the 1990s, causing pain that became chronic around six years ago.

Roger says: "My wife was working, I could no longer work. I didn't have any transport, I could barely walk 20 yards without a stick. So I was at home most of the time and I was becoming a bit reclusive to be honest, really going in on myself and ignoring anything outside the house.

"I had been a provider all my life - not being able to provide hit me badly. When you can't do simple things like lifting a full kettle without being in pain, it really is depressing. It changes your life completely."

Eden's Therapeutic Horticulture programme was recommended by a social prescriber at Roger's GP surgery in February 2024. Having always enjoyed gardening, he decided to try it.

The grandfather-of-one was nervous about being around people he did not know but with the support of staff and volunteers, he found the sessions "brought me out of my shell".

"Up until then, I didn't have any interest in social activities and extremely low mood, I didn't look forward to anything and I couldn't see anything on the horizon or that I could smile about. But over the weeks and months, it brought me back into normal society."

What was once a barren field now holds two polytunnels, vegetable gardens, a soft fruit area, and a section for plants used to make natural dyes. Participants choose from a list of jobs and do as much or as little as they like, chatting or working in companionable silence.

Focusing on a task helps Roger divert his mind from the pain. He adds: "I can do a lot sitting down in the polytunnels. I can pot on or sow seeds - there's a lot I can still do which I have thoroughly enjoyed."

Roger has since completed a number of courses at Eden and earned a Royal Horticultural Society Level 1 qualification. He now volunteers at the project.

There is strong and growing evidence that nature can play an important role in improving mental health and reducing loneliness and the Government is supporting a number of green social prescribing projects.

A recent study of one in Humber and North Yorkshire found that participants who joined nine to 12-week schemes involving activities such as working in allotments saw similar improvements to those achieved with cognitive behavioural therapy.

Other research by the University of York found that nature-based activities lasting for 20 to 90 minutes, sustained over eight to 12 weeks, improved mood and reduced anxiety.

Sam Alford, Eden's head of Nature Connections, explains that the act of tending a garden can be deeply symbolic. "We know that nurturing something other than yourself is really important and we talk about how, when you sow a seed, you're kind of investing in your future.

"You're sowing that seed in the hope that it will grow and then you're going to look after it and nurture it, water it, make sure it's in the right place. There are lots of metaphors that we're able to draw alongside the growing process."

The Therapeutic Horticulture programme is for people with mild to moderate mental health problems, ranging from anxiety and depression to bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Sessions are supervised by practitioners who can offer support when difficult emotions arise. The scheme has been built up since the pandemic, with up to 250 people now joining courses every year.

It was in the wake of lockdowns that the benefits of time outdoors became clearer, Sam says. "Particularly after Covid, we had a lot of people who had been shut away for quite a long period of time and had got out of the habit of socialising. Some had then become quite anxious about re-engaging with the world.

"We had one person who was very anxious and they would always work on their own. A staff member would go over and see if they could work alongside that person and just encourage them a little bit. Gradually, she started to try and join the periphery of group activities and get involved quietly."

Sam adds: "The feedback is that people do, for a few hours, manage to park whatever else is going on. Some of our participants have really difficult personal circumstances.

"It's about having that time and headspace just for them, where they don't have to think about anything else if they can manage to put it aside."

Once participants have completed five, 10 or 25-week courses, they are supported to find their next step, whether at Eden or elsewhere. Staff discuss with them what they have enjoyed and how they might "take some of that with them when they finish coming to sessions in the garden", Sam says.

"One of the strengths of it is that you're helping people get back into society. When you feel unwell, a lot of people want to hide themselves away, but actually this provides a routine and supportive way of connecting with other people which can be a precursor to getting back into the workplace, for example."

For Greer Bailey, 66, the programme has been so transformative it led to new beginnings which helped her "feel like a very productive member of society again".

She has struggled with mental health issues for 17 years, after giving up a high-powered job to care for her father for two and a half years.

A social prescriber attached to Greer's GP practice recommended Eden when she was struggling with another bout of depression 15 months ago. The grandmother-of-two said: "At first I felt a bit awkward, I wasn't sure I fitted in. But there were all sorts of people there for different reasons.

"It gave me something to do through the winter months and I started to learn more about gardening, slowed down my pace. We're all running around like headless chickens. Actually seeing things grow, planting seeds, working with your hands, feeling the soil - it just brings you back to basics."

Bringing home tomatoes, beans, parsnips, carrots and turnips she had helped to grow was "wonderful", Greer says.

Her mental health significantly improved - also helped by taking up swimming, going to the gym and giving up alcohol - and she now serves as a governor for a local academy and invigilates exams. "I really think now I'm on the road to recovery," Greer adds.

"It has taken a long time, I'll always have to manage my mental health very carefully, but being at one with nature, being active and looking after one's health and wellbeing is so important. You're nurturing things and it helps you think about nurturing yourself.

"Going to the garden has contributed to me becoming well and able to be a more productive member of society, despite being retired."

Eden's approach is complementary to other support, "an adjunct to more traditional medication and services", Sam says. The charity has applied for funding to roll out this model to five other sites across the UK.

Its wider Nature Connections programme offers sessions for all ages groups, including baby yoga and sensory sessions for disengaged teenagers.

The Princess of Wales recently described nature as her family's "sanctuary" during her cancer treatment. In a Mother's Day message, Catherine said: "Let us celebrate Mother Nature and recognise how our bond with the natural world can help not only nurture our inner selves, but remind us too of the role we play within the rich tapestry of life."

When it comes to reaping the mental health benefits, Sam adds: "We're at the beginning of that journey. Having an advocate like the Princess of Wales is amazing and really helps in terms of raising public awareness but also awareness at policy level. I would like to see everybody being able to access this."