Local Hospice Care charity Phyllis Tuckwell has recently received a grant of £2,500 from The Finnis Scott Foundation, to help fund its Social and Therapeutic Horticultural programme – Therapies through Nature.

Therapies through Nature is an indoor gardening therapy which Phyllis Tuckwell offers to its patients and their families. Led by one of its Occupational Therapists, Lisi Pilgrem, the sessions offer patients the opportunity to create a flower basket or outdoor planter for example, or a dish of sweet-smelling pot pourri, which they can then take home or give to a loved one as a present.

As well as bringing patients together in a group setting to enjoy the company of their peers as they plant these beautiful flowers, the sessions also help restore patients’ energy levels and improve their quality of life. Research has shown that gardening, or even simply spending time surrounded by nature, can measurably reduce stress levels and improve wellbeing. As well as offering these proven benefits, the sessions also provide normalisation, giving patients a chance to get away from their illnesses and join in with an activity which they used to enjoy before they became ill. After the sessions, patients find that their symptoms, such as pain, anxiety and fatigue, are much lower and that they have greater confidence and self-esteem.

“This changes you – I am less stressed now than when I first came,” said one patient, while another commented “It takes your mind off everything. All your worries go out the door”.

“We would like to thank The Finnis Scott Foundation for this generous grant,” said Claire McDonald, Individual Giving Manager at Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care. “Since April 2018 The Finnis Scott Foundation has donated £5k to Therapies through Nature, and this recent grant of £2,500 will help us to continue to run these very popular sessions.”

To find out more about Phyllis Tuckwell’s Therapies through Nature sessions, visit www.pth.org.uk/social-therapeutic-horticulture