Post 16 Gardening
Mrs Hill writes about the progress Post 16 have made with their own garden space, and the link between this and this month's
'mental health awareness week'.
The subject of mental health is one that we take very seriously at the academy, and in Post 16 this is visited regularly.
We are fortunate to have the services of Impact on Teesside, a free, confidential, NHS-based therapy service.
However, not everybody needs counselling. Some just need to relax, unwind, and maybe take up a new hobby.
I am lucky enough to have a garden, and during lockdown last year, it truly became my salvation. An hour or two
out of my day, pottering about in the garden was a welcome distraction to the dark events that were overshadowing
everyone's life.
It is widely known that fresh air, vitamin D and exercise all help so much in having a well-balanced, healthy
state of mind. Because of this, I decided to create a Post 16 gardening group. Not only is it good for our
mental health, it is also a welcome distraction from students' studies. Putting the pen down picking up a
trowel is very theraputic!
What started out as a weekly 'potter' has now gathered speed and our humble little group has huge plans for
the space outside the Post 16 Library. Gardening takes time, so we are going to keep you updated as the
weeks go on with our progress.