Dear

As we meander our way into Autumn, the shortening daylight and changing colours still bring an abundance of opportunity for simple gardening pleasures and nature connection which we hope you take every opportunity to enjoy.

From the remarkable results emerging from our Growing Hope GP project, to our beautiful floral clock celebrating 20 years of Trellis, it’s been a summer full of moments that remind us just how much therapeutic horticulture can achieve.

And now, as we look ahead, we want to invite you to be part of what comes next.

Whether you share our work with someone who could benefit, open your garden to raise funds, join Friends of Trellis, come along to an event, or simply tell us what you’d like to see from Trellis in the future — there are lots of ways to get involved.

Happy Gardening,

Fiona Thackeray

CEO

When someone is living with depression or anxiety, even leaving the house can feel overwhelming. Everyday activities become daunting, confidence disappears, and people can become increasingly isolated from their communities and the things that once brought them joy.

Over the past 12 months Trellis has been supporting people to improve their wellbeing through a therapeutic gardening programme at Harbours Medical Practice in Cockenzie, East Lothian.  The participants, struggling with depression and anxiety, were referred by their GP and undertook a 12 week therapeutic gardening programme with astounding changes in their outlook on life, and, in turn, their need for primary care support. The quote above comes from Malcolm, who took part in the first 12 week programme at the practice.

Measures of wellbeing increased by 60% on average across the participants and GP visits reduced by a staggering 67% on average in the 3 months after the programme, compared to the 3 months before.

Dr Peter Churn, Partner at Harbours Medical Practice, expressed his delight at the changes they have witnessed in their patients:
“We’ve been stunned by the positive impact on our patients that were fortunate enough to attend and benefit from the Trellis group. They have learnt skills that will hopefully benefit them, and those around them, for a lifetime. We hope that this project will serve as a blueprint for many others and provide a long-lasting legacy for our surgery and our community.”

Thanks to funding from The National Lottery, Strengthening Organisations Fund, we are delighted to be recruiting for a Development Officer: Growing Wellbeing Project. They will be instrumental in creating sector toolkits, whilst raising awareness and support for their adoption: helping to make therapeutic gardening more accessible across health and social care. This fixed term role will be pivotal in the development and mainstream availability of therapeutic horticulture as a valid intervention in primary care settings. A key strategic aim of Trellis.

We are also recruiting for a part time Administrative Assistant so that we can be even more effective at supporting our staff team and network members.

Both posts are currently being advertised on our website and through Indeed - please help spread the word to grow our work.

The closing date for both roles is Sunday, 27th September. 

This summer, three wonderful groups opened their gardens to help raise funds for Trellis: (pictured above from left to right) Laidlawsteil House in Galashiels (image copyright: Kathy Henry),  Merrylee Plotholders Association Allotment in Glasgow, and a lovely collective of garden owners in the village of Fowlis Wester near Crieff in Perthshire. We are indebted to them all for their passion and commitment to our work, raising almost £2,000 between them.

Some of the most important things we do at Trellis aren't easy to fund through a single project or grant.

It's the time spent answering a practitioner's question. Developing a new resource. Sharing what we've learned. Bringing people together. Trying something new. Gathering evidence. Supporting a gardening group to become stronger. Making the case for therapeutic horticulture to be part of mainstream health and care.

Regular supporters make all of this possible.

By joining our community of regular donors through our new Friends or Growing Circles initiatives, you're giving us a reliable foundation that helps us plan ahead, take opportunities when they arise and continue developing the work we know can make such a difference.

Your gift, no matter the level you choose to support us at, helps us to continue to meet the network's need and demand levels — and helps therapeutic horticulture reach more people, in more places, for years to come.

Whatever you give, you're helping to grow something bigger than any one project.

As well as individual donors, we are delighted to have corporate supporters who make the world of difference too.  If you know, work for or own a company that would like to find out more about how they might support our work, please get in touch with Jo, our Fundraising and Development Officer. 

Trellis has always been about people coming together — sharing knowledge, opening doors, trying new things and helping one another discover what is possible through gardening.

As we look to the future, we’d love you to be part of that journey.

There are lots of ways to get involved: share our work with someone who could benefit; help us spread the word about our new job roles; join or share our regular giving initiatives; come along to an event; open your garden; volunteer your time; or simply tell us what you’d like Trellis to do next. Our A.G.M. on 16th October (online) is the perfect opportunity to do just that. 

We’d also like you to tell us what you'd like to see, learn about or get involved in - helping to shape what comes next. Take our super-short survey or simply email jo@trellisscotland.org.uk with your ideas.

Because Trellis isn't just something that happens for people. It happens with people — and we’d love you to be part of what happens next.

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Trellis (Scottish Therapeutic Gardening Network) is registered as a charity and limited company in Scotland | Scottish Charity no: SC037429 | Company no: 299227