‘The Magick Patch’, a community allotment for children in Heacham, Norfolk, is buying a greenhouse with a £515 grant from our Community Improvement Fund.
The Magick Patch was set up by Broadland tenant Claire Sanders (pictured above right), a former hairdresser, and her teaching assistant daughter Rosie (above left). Claire started the allotment project last winter with an initial grant from the Community Improvement Fund. She sourced additional funding from Tesco and a number of local businesses.
Claire wanted to give local children a chance to experience the mental and physical benefits of gardening. She has personal experience of the therapeutic power of gardening. After being diagnosed with depression and anxiety, she was signposted to the King’s Lynn community allotment run by mental health charity Mind.
There are so many children who suffer from anxiety or depression, or who have special needs, and this has been made worse by the whole Coronavirus pandemic.
Gardening is a really effective way of helping them realise that their feelings will eventually pass, and that they will get through it.
Claire Sanders
This is such an innovative and positive project. Claire, Rosie and her team have put such a lot of effort into getting the allotment up and running, and to keep it going during the long weeks of lockdown.
Their enthusiasm, and the obvious need that the project meets, really struck a chord with the tenants on our Community Improvement Fund panel. We’re delighted to be giving a second grant to The Magick Patch.
Paula Strachan, Corporate Communications Manager