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The Five A Day Market Garden in Englefield Village is running free gardening courses for anyone impacted by Covid-19.
Funded by a grant from the Berkshire Community Foundation, the weekly gardening sessions are open to any residents of West Berkshire who have felt the impact of the pandemic in any way.
Yvonne Redgrave, Five A Day Garden volunteer, explained; “The sessions are open to anyone, whether you’re recovering from Covid, are worn-out from home schooling or work, have felt lonely or isolated, or want to get outdoors for your mental health - there are no strict criteria. The course is simply designed to help local people to feel better.”
The sessions will teach participants about growing and harvesting vegetables and flowers, and new gardening skills. Each week, a small group of mixed ages and abilities will be welcomed to the garden, with the chance to relax and have fun in the peaceful surroundings.
Yvonne added: “We’re open to all abilities, whether this is your first-time gardening or you’re much more green-fingered, we can tailor the sessions to suit those attending each week. It’s all about getting out in the fresh air, doing something practical, and socialising too.
“We’ve allocated one area of the garden for these sessions, so hope that by returning month after month participants will start to see the fruits of their hard work, which is always extremely rewarding.”
The sessions are running every Wednesday from May to October 2021, from 10am to 12pm or 1pm to 3pm, and participants are under no obligation to attend every week.
Contact info@fiveaday.org.uk or call 07555 184343 for more details or to book your place. Please note, places are limited to allow for social distancing in the garden and will be offered on a first come, first served basis.
The Five A Day Market Garden is a not-for-profit community project, run by volunteers, that relies on donations and grants. It aims to educate children and adults alike about gardening and food production, in a therapeutic outdoor environment. It offers hands-on gardening experience for everyone, including school and community groups, adults with learning disabilities, and retired people.
If you would like to support the project or join as a volunteer, please contact the team: http://fiveaday.org.uk/contact/.
