Barratt Developments has announced a £500,000 donation to St Mungo’s to help expand its innovative gardening programme, Putting Down Roots.
Putting Down Roots currently provides vocational horticulture training for people experiencing homelessness in London and Bristol, supporting their recovery by improving wellbeing and developing vital skills for employment.
Students are supported by Garden Trainers to develop skills in a variety of garden techniques at a range of settings across the two cities, including public parks, community gardens and allotments.
Learning new skills and taking pride in their accomplishments helps people improve their self-confidence, and gardening can have a real therapeutic benefit for those experiencing mental health or substance use issues. Students can also choose to work towards an accredited Level 1 OCN (Open College Network) qualification in Horticulture Skills, which can be a springboard into employment.
Barratt Developments’ donation will support St Mungo’s ambitious three-year plan to grow the scheme to reach more people nationally and increase opportunities for trainees to move into employment.
Read about how Putting Down Roots has given Jordan back his pride.
