On Saturday I visited St Mary the Virgin church on Lewisham High Street for the official launch of the church’s therapeutic garden. The aim of the project, set up jointly by St Mary’s and Lewisham’s Integrated Psychological Therapies Team, is to foster mental well-being through gardening. It also has the added advantage of transforming an area of green space which has been somewhat neglected in recent times.

BBC Gardener’s World presenter Flo Headlam was there to dig the first turf and we were joined by Father Steve Hall (Vicar of St Mary’s), Councillor Stella Jeffrey and Carmine De Rosa from South London and Maudsley Mental Health Trust, as well as the project’s team of dedicated volunteers.

This a fantastic idea and I hope that many people will use the garden as a calm space for reflection and contemplation, as well as giving something back to the community by helping to maintain it.

More details are available on the St Mary’s website: http://www.lewishamparish.com/garden.html

 Photo courtesy of Marion Watson