As spring fast approaches the children at Friends of Seaview have been busy cultivating their garden in preparation for the warmer months ahead. Gardening has been proving a popular activity at this National Lottery funded centre which provides short breaks for children and young people with complex neurological conditions and genetic disorders.

The charity gives young people, who are aged between five and 18, the chance to experience the richness of nature and wonders of the outdoors.

Building confidence

Linda Furley, aged 40, is a therapeutic gardener at the centre and has seen first-hand the positive impact of gardening on the children’s mental health. Linda’s work involves creating activities for the children to take part in during their one to one sessions with her. Each activity is tailored to the individual child’s interests and needs.

Linda says: “Harvesting potatoes is a favourite activity. The children get so excited when they turn over the soil and see the potatoes nestled there.

“We have now got raised beds setup for the children who are in wheelchairs and I have a little shoot that they can put the potatoes in and watch them roll down into the barrow.”

Linda finds nurturing the plants gives the children a sense of responsibility and self-worth.

“Seeing the children grow in confidence is incredibly rewarding. A few weeks ago we made some soup out of the vegetables we had grown in the garden and gave it to the staff who all said it tasted amazing. The children were so proud.”

Meet Elisha

Fifteen year old Elisha has been attending the centre for over a year and has flourished since she started her sessions with Linda.

“Elisha was very unpredictable when I first met her, she had a lot of impulsive behaviours like hitting or throwing things. Now, she absolutely loves her time with me and through the gardening she has become much calmer and more aware of things she’s doing.

“Elisha particularly loves feeding the birds and putting out nesting boxes. She was so excited watching the birds go in and out of the nest box last spring.

“Her communication skills came on amazingly and she’d ask me for constant updates on how the birds were doing. After they fledged we cleaned the nest box out and she was fascinated to see the little nest they had built.”

Overcoming fears

“Elisha has also grown so much in confidence and overcome lots of her fears. She used to be terrified of bees in the garden and would run away screaming every time she heard one. In the summer we found an injured bee and gave it some sugary water.

“I held it on my hand for her to see and she helped me feed it. When it eventually regained its strength and buzzed away Elisha was so excited and proud. She ran to tell everybody about it.”

Speaking about her sessions with Linda Elisha said: “Sometimes before a session I feel sad. After a session I feel happy and calm. I have felt angry whilst being at Seaview but now I haven’t felt angry in a long time. Getting so many compliments for the soup I made blew me away. My favourite thing to do with Linda is when we cook in the kitchen using vegetables from the garden, and being silly in the garden.”

National Lottery funding

Friends of Seaview was awarded a National Lottery Awards for All grant of £10,000 to fund these transformative gardening sessions. Interested in applying for National Lottery Awards for All funding? Learn more about National Lottery Awards for All Scotland.