How volunteering at Ford Park helped my mental health.

How volunteering at Ford Park helped my mental health...

Gardening has proven benefits for our physical and emotional wellbeing. In my own garden, I had felt the satisfaction that comes from growing more herbs and nurturing our potted plants. Volunteering at Ford Park presented me with a unique opportunity to broaden my gardening knowledge and get to know other like-minded people. I ended up finding a strong community of friendly and enthusiastic outdoorsmen and women that made being outside worth it. It didn’t take long for me to feel fully embraced by the Ford Park volunteers and to feel inspired by their seemingly endless commitment to the park.

In my first week of volunteering with Ford Park, I began by cutting back overgrown areas in the green area across from Ford Park house. I found it quite easy to get into a flow of pruning the perennials by cutting them at the base of the plant. Being given a task to complete alongside other volunteers focused my mind on the here and now of the garden. I had been struggling with overwhelming thoughts and had been recommended to read all about mindfulness. By volunteering on a sunny morning, I found a place for me to put these mindfulness skills to practice. Being out in the sunshine and getting your hands stuck into a job that involves little thinking suddenly helped to raise my spirits. It became quite impossible to waste time worrying about situations outside of my control once I had a pair of clippers and a task to complete.

In the walled garden, produce is harvested for the local community and visitors to the park. One of the tasks that I have become committed to is feeding the tomatoes in the greenhouse. The process of feeding tomatoes is relatively simple; first you water the plants, and then you feed the plants with a diluted comfrey liquid solution. Once ripe, the tomatoes are picked and weighed out. Collecting the tomatoes and putting them on display makes me feel a level of pride about Ford Park and a sense that I am part of something bigger than myself.

Beans are plentifully grown in the garden and often too high for anyone to reach. We have runner beans and green beans growing adjacent to one another. I spent one morning stood at the bottom of a ladder while a fellow volunteer worked tirelessly to bring down every bean that the plant had produced. I found that the task at hand became secondary to connecting with another volunteer about his family. Working closely with other volunteers has improved my confidence and ability to open up to people about my own mental health journey. In a large part thanks to the strong community I have gained from volunteering at Ford Park, I have made heaps of progress and have found myself growing in confidence.

After seedlings have taken root and are looking to grow on, they are re-potted within a larger six-by-two pot with a pearlite-rich compost as the base. This task is a particular favourite of mine, as it allows you to get your hands dirty but requires a level of precision to ensure the seedlings take root in their new home. It takes patience to carefully remove the seedlings from the soil where they’ve taken root and gently place them in a larger pot.

In many ways it feels quite symbolic to take a seedling that has outgrown its current spot and place it into a nutritious and well-balanced environment. It reminds me a little of the process of moving out of your home and braving the world on your own. It is one in which I still dread the unknown a little, but I take pride in knowing that I have strong roots to rely on when I need support.

Moving back home was never part of the plan for me and there are still days where I feel quite down about it, but it was a crucial part of my recovery, and I couldn’t be more grateful to the supportive community I’ve found because of being honest about my mental health difficulties. Volunteering with Ford Park allowed me to meet a welcoming circle of friendly faces who have offered me tea and a slice of cake when I needed it.

It feels important to talk about the tireless work of the charity office in keeping Ford Park running as spectacularly as it does. Simply put, Ford Park means a lot to a lot of people. The events that it runs are enjoyed by locals and visitors alike, and preparations for an event like the Lantern procession has begun roughly a month ahead. Ford Park is kept alive by the work of its volunteers, but its legacy still needs to continue. As I am shown the walls made from rubble from the old school by a fellow volunteer, I finally spot a message that has been clearly displayed this whole time; ‘Ford Park is your green space forever’.

By Alex Hogg