Locations

Our aims with this project are to clean up and restore a space that has become neglected, turning it into an area both of functionality, growing edibles, and of beauty. It is our hope that this will become a garden which can be enjoyed by all members of the local community in the years to come, irrespective of their faiths and beliefs.

The AutAngel Allotment is on the Bulmershe allotment site. We grow vegetables, fruit and flowers.

Erleigh Road Community Garden is a green oasis in East Reading where people and children of all ages can come along and learn about growing fruit and vegetables, help look after and maintain the garden as well as taking home fresh produce.

Five a Day is a community horticultural project. There are 2 acres of garden situated in beautiful and peaceful surroundings which many people find beneficial. We offer a range of gardening or nature based activities for people of all ages. Volunteers maintain the garden and we sell produce to local people to help pay for running the garden.

Horticultural Therapy

Green space in Coley near Reading town centre.

We are an outdoor education centre based in beautiful woodlands a few miles north of Reading. We run courses and activities for adults and children, enabling people to spend time outdoors, close to nature, to improve their health and wellbeing.

We provide horticultural therapy sessions at our beautiful garden on Whiteknights Road. Our sessions help improve mental health and wellbeing for people with physical disabilities, mental health issues and learning difficulties.

Local families have transformed a piece of derelict land at Florian Gardens, Southcote into a thriving allotment growing fresh, healthy fruit and vegetables. We grow an amazing range of crops - from your usual carrots, onions and potatoes to the more exotic melons and Patty Pan squash - there is something for everyone to enjoy. In our polytunnel we grow lovely tasty tomatoes, cucumbers, chillis and aubergines as well as raising all our own plants from seed in the spring.

The MERL (Museum of English Rural Life) is located on Redlands Road opposite the Royal Berkshire Hospital. The garden is located at the back of the museum, and can be accessed during museum opening hours. The garden is host to gardening volunteering opportunities, community green health programmes, creative projects, physical health opportunities and outdoor learning.

The Trunkwell garden at Beech Hill near Reading is situated within 3 acres of beautiful grounds and is part of Thrive’s National Office; The Geoffrey Udall Centre. The social and therapeutic programmes we run here support people to overcome challenges and barriers they face providing hope, purpose and meaningful activities.

Led by an experienced Horticultural Therapist and a team of volunteers, we work with members of the community who have experience of mental health challenges, or who are recovering from or at risk of mental health difficulties, social isolation and socio-economic exclusion. We help people to manage their condition, gain new transferable skills, improve social inclusion and to gain confidence.

Since the summer of 2012 local residents have got together to transform a piece of abandoned land in the centre of Whitley. Now there is a community allotment, supported by Food4families, where local people grow their own fruit and vegetables and share their produce.