Join Hospice-Led Compassionate Garden Group

St Elizabeth Hospice is encouraging people to pick up their trowels and don their gardening gloves, and join their new wellbeing gardening group.

Hosted in partnership with Home Instead, Grove Court Care Home and St Elizabeth Hospice, Compassionate Garden Group launched in May with the aim of providing support to members of the community, in and around Woodbridge, who are who are involved in long term care provoking pre-bereavement grief.

Part of the hospice’s Compassionate Communities approach, the free-to-attend group meets every fourth Wednesday of the month, between 10am and 1pm at Grove Court in Woodbridge, with bereavement helpers on hand to provide support if needed.

Compassionate Garden Group provides an opportunity for people living through similar experiences to meet one another as they carry out light gardening activities, have conversation and enjoy all-important cups of tea and cake, boosting mental and physical health, as well as wellbeing in the process.

Hugh McElhinney, Volunteer Community Manager at St Elizabeth Hospice, who leads on the hospice’s facilitation of Compassionate Communities, said: “We are so pleased to join with Home Instead and Grove Court Care Home to host the Compassionate Garden Group.

“The group is open to all and provides a great opportunity to meet new people, who are living through similar experiences as yourself, while also boosting your health and wellbeing. If you would like to join Compassionate Garden Group, please do get in contact.”

Compassionate Communities is a national approach which supplements the support given by healthcare providers, by equipping the public to support each other with kindness during some of the most difficult times in their lives, such as the death of a loved one or the diagnosis of a serious illness.

Through Compassionate Communities, St Elizabeth Hospice provides resources and guidance to enable the public to feel more confident in having conversations surrounding the ‘taboo’ topics of bereavement, death and dying. As well as facilitating activities, such as Compassionate Garden Group, to help people have open conversations about these topics and provide support to one another.

One person who has attended the Compassionate Garden Group is Pam, who said: “I find everyone is friendly and nice. It’s good to be able to talk to people who understand what I’m going through. It’s in a nice environment with the Summer House and garden as well.”

To join the Compassionate Garden Group or to find out more call 01394 446500 or email compassionate.communities@stelizabethhospice.org.uk

Find out more by visiting www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/compassion.