We were delighted to be the charity partner for a show garden at last year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show! We shone a light on inequalities in access to the mental health-boosting benefits of nature.
About the garden
Centre for Mental Health’s The Balance Garden is an urban community garden celebrating how nature can help our mental health.
Designed by award-winning gardeners at Wild City Studio and supported by Project Giving Back, The Balance Garden was a space for an urban community to look after and be immersed in nature.
Its innovative landscaping techniques create affordable ways of connecting with nature and growing food in a healthy space for everyone to enjoy.
Gardens, green space and mental health
Climate change and the cost of living crisis are having a major impact on our mental health. And the effects are most severe in disadvantaged communities. Yet this is where access to nature and healing green spaces is at its poorest. Centre for Mental Health’s The Balance Garden showed how communities can come together to reclaim spaces as climate-resilient community gardens which bring healing and hope.
Read more from Thea about how we used this opportunity to expand the narrative around mental health, nature and gardens.
In this blog, chief executive Andy explains how our Chelsea Garden reminded us to ‘plant trees’ and implement policies today that can improve public mental health for generations to come.
Our garden’s relocation and legacy
The garden will have a lasting legacy. It has inspired people worldwide to use green spaces to promote mental health. And after the show, Centre for Mental Health’s The Balance Garden moved to Tottenham, North London, creating a new space for the community to enjoy.
Our designers Jon Davies and Steve Williams of Wild City Studio explain the vision for our Balance Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show 2023.
Our Digital Assistant, Chiamaka shares more on our relocation to Markfield Park.
