Allotment For All Christmas Gift

[1066]

that's fantastic news! Well done all or should that be allotments4all 

[Georgie]

Georgie it is for the actual donation pages!

Right, thanks for that.  Sorted now. 

G x

[betula]

Thank you everybody.............proud of you all   


http://www.justgiving.com/betulasgoodidea

[betula]

Bump   

[betula]

The daily bump   

[caroline7758]

I thoughtthis was a "sticky"now, so does it need bumping?

[grawrc]

Plenty of folk seem to be reading it, Caroline,  but not so many contributing. Perhaps that's why Betula is bumping it. Also the sticky itself doesn't include the link for making contributions:
http://www.justgiving.com/betulasgoodidea

[caroline7758]

Thanks,Anne,I stand corrected!

[Flighty]

Caroline I'm sure that we'll be better organised when we do it again next year! 

Meantime the total stands at £115, and for anyone else who'd like to donate here's the link!

http://www.justgiving.com/betulasgoodidea

[lushy86]

Total is £120 now - woohoo 

Lushy x

[Borlotti]

It wasn't me that won the Euro lottery,  otherwise I would have given more.

[Georgie]

I think £120 is a pretty good achievement in these lean times. 

G x

[lorna]

Georgie I agree as the saying goes "Every little helps"

[Flighty]

Georgie and Lorna well said! 

For anyone else who'd like to donate here's the link -

http://www.justgiving.com/betulasgoodidea

[daveyboi]

Well Done everyone!!

[betula]

Thank you for your contribution   


http://www.justgiving.com/betulasgoodidea

[betula]

We are up to £140.00

That is fantastic................

[Flighty]

Just a gentle reminder that a few folks who said count me in have yet to donate!
For them and anyone else who'd like to donate here's the link ~

http://www.justgiving.com/betulasgoodidea

[betula]

Gavin's Story
“I used to get bad mood swings but going into the garden and having a purpose in life has helped to reduce those”

Gavin has achieved fantastic progress during his time at the Thrive Battersea Garden Project. He first came to Thrive in 2001, 12 years after he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Today, Gavin is looking forward to independence. After 7 years working with Thrive’s therapists as a client, he joined our supported volunteer project and then moved on to a part-time paid job. He is also working as a volunteer in the research laboratory at King’s College London, a really positive move for him as before his illness he was a biochemist at St Mary’s hospital in Paddington.

Commenting on how schizophrenia affected him, Gavin says: “I had great problems reacting to my environment. I would walk into a room and feel as if I was in a trance. Gardening has helped me overcome that. At Thrive, you do a full day which helps to build stamina and helps you get back into a work routine. There is also a fantastic mix of people there and my social life has taken off.

“My doctors say that since I started gardening, the improvement has been obvious. They hope that soon I will be able to move into a house or flat of my own. I just hope it has a garden!”

Gavin has given interviews about his experience at Thrive and has written articles for Thrive’s journal GrowthPoint, and has produced a research paper on gardening and mental health. He has also recently completed a video course and has taken the Royal School of Music Grade 6 exam on the violin. These are things which he admits he wouldn’t have dreamt of doing a few years ago.

[betula]

Sally Brampton is a journalist and novelist,
and is the founding editor of British Elle.
She is also a depressive, and in the past has
become so ill that she has twice attempted
suicide. Sally wrote the book, Shoot the
d**n Dog, a memoir of her depression.
Sally gave this interview to The Times in
support of Thrive, and a film of the interview
was shown on The Times’ website.
“When I’m gardening the only thing I think
about is gardening and I think it’s what
physiologists call flow – that you become
completely absorbed in something that
you’re doing and it transcends everything,
you just forget everything else.
“When you are very depressed you might be
suicidal you know, which is just one of the
symptoms of severe depression. I think that
what a garden teaches you is that things die,
but things come back, and there is always
this constant cycle. It keeps you connected
into the seasons and keeps you connected
into life itself. I think that’s really important
if you suffer from any kind of mood disorder
to have that kind of optimism, to know that
there is always a future.
Sally Brampton: “Gardening keeps you
connected into the seasons and keeps you
connected into life itself. I think that’s really
important if you suffer from any kind of
mood disorder to have that kind of optimism,
to know that there is always a future.”
“I just think what Thrive does is absolutely
fantastic. I’ve always thought with Thrive
that there is a feeling of real acceptance
about people and their differences and it
brings people together, that’s just wonderful