MindSpace opens a wellbeing garden in Stamford

A wellbeing garden has been officially opened to the public.

The MindSpace Wellbeing Garden opened the gates to the public on Saturday last week (July 30) after many years in the making.

Mayor of Stamford David Taylor untied the hessian ribbon to mark the occasion.

The garden, located in Uffington Road, has been transformed from an overgrown plot with seating areas and a managed wild retreat with fruit trees providing shade.

MindSpace trustee Mary Dowglass, who has overseen the garden project, said: “It’s designed so that people can both be active; digging and growing veggies for example, but it’s also designed so that other activities can take place such as our MindSpace sketching group.”

The project has taken about four years to complete and has faced numerous challenges, from covid restrictions that interrupted the work schedule to the current drought.

There’s a selection of places to sit, including a natural sanctuary under fruit trees.

The plants have been chosen for year-round interest, with summer and autumn colours, and shrubs to give structure in the winter.

At the opening, Coun Taylor recalled volunteering as a gardener at Burghley for six months after lockdown and he said he appreciated the benefit of nature on mental wellbeing.

“The real core of our garden are the volunteers and helpers, some of whom come along regularly each week, others only occasionally,” Mary said.

“All are welcome and hopefully enjoy the experience and friendship of creating our wellbeing garden environment.”