Dundee Kitchen Garden

One of our teams in Dundee has been dreaming big.

The team applied to Carr Gomm Futures, which administers and allocates fundraised money to projects that address social isolation and loneliness in local communities. They were seeking funds to turn their tiny backyard into a glorious kitchen garden.

Now up and running, the garden is encouraging local people we support to learn more about nutrition, plan healthy meals, learn to cook more and get involved in growing their own food.

David, one of the support practitioners in the team, has been supporting people to plant potatoes and carrots, and of course some beautiful flowers, as well as creating materials to start conversations about nutrition.

“It’s fantastic to see people getting stuck in and enjoying planting seeds. It’s important for people to have a space to engage in the outdoors, and learn more about their food and where it comes from.”

Earlier this year, everyone involved celebrated the growth of the first seedling in the garden; a corn flower seed nick-named Geoff. Inspired by Geoff, they have been busy creating “Grow your own Geoff” kits, so they can pass on the joy of growing to others.

Chris and David (pictured) enjoyed the experience so much that they have recently been spreading joy and kindness through gifts to their local community. Chris, along with other people we support, has been helping to pick vegetables, wrap them up in parcels, and deliver them to local people. One person even told us how they didn’t need to visit the foodbank that week as a result.

David is now seeking further funds to erect a greenhouse so that they can grow vegetables all year round.

If you would like to support projects and activities like these that are addressing isolation and loneliness across Scotland, you can donate here today.