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"This grant helped us to work together as a group, learn new skills as well as broaden our interests by involving people to learn about conservation, interact with insects, plants and learn about new textures and smells."
The Dragonfly Sensory Garden is run by Broadgate Farm, which was established
in 1999. The Farm provides occupational work-type daycare for people
with long-standing and serious mental health problems. They use horticulture,
pottery, art and a six-acre pastoral site to do this. They currently provide
65 places mostly to men aged from 18 to their late 50's.
The wildlife and sensory garden has been specially dedicated to people who
are disabled and visually impaired providing learning experiences, discovering
textures and smells from plant, metal and wood sculptors. The garden
encourages wildlife such as frogs, water voles, newts, dragonflys, bats and
toads. The project is led by Steve Fox a day member at the Farm, who
is extremely enthusiastic. Steve has dedicated the past four years to working
on the project with other volunteers at the farm. This has seen the
land turn from a derelict, overgrown area, which is prone to flooding, into
a place which now provides a home to endangered plants and wildlife, such
as great crested newts, as well being a sensory garden dedicated to people
who are disabled and visually impaired.
We gave two grants of £2,500 which helped to develop the Sensory Garden dedicated for who are disabled and visually impaired. The whole scheme aims to educate the local community in the importance of conservation and the benefits of introducing endangered wildlife to the garden. The scheme has helped to preserve and maintain habitats. People have become more aware of conservation issues and their interactions with insects and plants. This has all been a direct result of the improvements that the grant has helped provide. The garden is available to all members of the public, for whom guided tours are provided.
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