One of our most recent projects took place at HMP Dumfries where they were designing and constructing a Wellbeing Garden within their extensive garden grounds. The aim of the project is to support the prison’s community to engage in both passive and physical activity to support health and wellbeing.
Trellis Project Advisor Joan, worked with a cohort of prisoners and staff, facilitating their learning, and practical involvement in the design and build process.
Joan worked alongside offenders as they made progress with the hard landscaping installations, soil preparation and plant selection. The Wellbeing Garden is now nearing completion with the first phase of planting completed.
As part of the ongoing project, 8 Scottish Prison Services staff members including Mental Health nurses and a Recovery and Wellbeing Officer have been identified as key personnel to use the Wellbeing Garden to engage with and support offenders. This team are now enrolled on Trellis’s online seasonal gardening activities training programme, which will empower them with the confidence, skills and knowledge to adapt gardening activities for their groups.
Additionally, on-site training is planned to run alongside each seasonal unit to reinforce and further inspire and strengthen the online learning.
To mark the success of the project, an Open Event to officially celebrate the new resource is being planned for the Summer.
We’re so proud of this project and the team of HMP Dumfries and will continue to share the progress of the garden with you over the coming months.
