Forest of Hearts 2024 Annual Review
It’s been another successful and impactful year fulfilling our aims to create places of purpose, build biodiversity, improve mental health and wellbeing and make a difference to protect the environment.
This year we’ve created community gardens and green spaces, delivered more Green Therapy sessions than ever, supported local individuals with mental health issues and ran a multitude of environmental corporate team building and volunteering events.
Volunteers
With the invaluable contribution of 189 volunteers, who collectively gave 2,668 hours to our charity, we've seen a tremendous positive impact, enhancing our projects and strengthening our community bonds in profound ways.
We sincerely thank all our volunteers for their time, effort, and expertise throughout the year.
Garden Creation
Stratford Hospital Garden of Wellbeing
We created a new garden area to provide a peaceful and healing environment for patients and NHS staff to help improve wellbeing. Other aims were to build the biodiversity of the area and create a green space to be enjoyed by the local community.
We officially opened the garden to all of the above beneficiaries during an open day which consisted of garden tours, refreshments and music. It’s been fantastic to see the garden being used and enjoyed by so many throughout the year since it’s creation.
Bishopton Community Centre Secret Garden
We designed and created “The Secret Garden” as an accessible, low-maintenance area, perfect for up to 20 visitors at the community centre to use as an inviting outdoor meeting space.
After visiting the site at the beginning of the year to measure up and plan, we put our designs together to incorporate a smart seating area with an accessible pathway, a retaining wall, raised bed planters, wildflower planting and beautiful biodiverse habitats.
After creating the garden, we enjoyed an open day and set up a Green Therapy group at the location with members of the local community to help maintain the garden and find joy in nurturing plants.
Tudor Grange Academy Vegetable & Herb Garden
This gardening endeavour brought together the Forest of Hearts team, volunteers from BAM Construction, Community Governors and Tudor Grange Primary Academy teachers and students.
Over two productive days, we laid the groundwork for a vibrant vegetable and herb garden right within the school grounds. The aim was to create a growing hub to get children interested in growing vegetables and learning about sustainability. Through hands-on experience and learning the whole growing process, they cultivated crops for the school kitchen and integrate harvesting crops and cooking them into their design and tech classes.
Rosalind Court Garden
As part of a new initiative, we added raised bed planters made from recycled railway sleepers at Rosalind Court in Stratford-upon-Avon. This project marked the beginning of a new Green Therapy group, bringing together staff and residents in a shared effort to create and maintain garden spaces and community spirit.
These planters provided a sturdy and rustic charm, perfect for growing a variety of plants, from vibrant flowers to pollinator friendly plants to attract bees and butterflies. The use of recycled materials also very much aligned with our commitment to sustainability and innovation in gardening practices.
Nature Reserve
Our dedication to building biodiversity and nurturing nature continues at our nature reserve. We were delighted to welcome three new barn owl chicks to our barn owl box, adding to the charm of our sanctuary. The swallows once again returned to their nest, a testament to the safe haven we are aiming to provide. Our orchard area is thriving, bursting with new growth, and promising a bountiful future. In our ongoing commitment to enhance the reserve, we invested in hard landscaping to improve the facilities for both corporate and community use, ensuring that our space remains inviting and functional for all who visit.
Tree Planting
During this year's tree planting season, we successfully planted 2,024 trees at our nature reserve in Snitterfield, just outside Stratford-upon-Avon.
We planted a variety of fruit trees in the orchard area, a mixed hedgerow around the perimeter of the five-acre plot, and majestic oak trees, enhancing the landscape's biodiversity, promoting local wildlife habitats, and creating a sustainable and beautiful environment for future generations.
Corporate Events
This year, 8 companies supported us by involving their staff in 12 of our corporate team-building and volunteering days, aligning with their CSR commitments, ESG strategies, and volunteer programmes.
We give thanks to Cadent Gas, Comfex Ltd, adi Group, Cemex, NFU Mutual, Bam Construction, Medi Plus and Anytime Concrete.
Their collective efforts have significantly advanced our projects, fostering a stronger community and more sustainable environment. We deeply appreciate their commitment and dedication.
Green Therapy
We delivered 320 hours of Green Therapy this year, marking the beginning of our service expansion to more locations across Warwickshire to include Stratford-upon-Avon Hospital, Bishopton Community Centre, Mary Anne Evans Hospice, Stratford Train Station, Lavender Meadows and Rosalind Court.
Our Green Therapy programme has significantly enhanced individuals' mental health and wellbeing, provided valuable horticultural and environmental education, enhanced new skill development, facilitated meaningful connections, and empowered participants to contribute to their communities.
Gardening Club - Mary Ann Evans Hospice
We continued our Green Therapy Gardening Club at Mary Ann Evans Hospice in Nuneaton to keep offering support to local residents who have experienced bereavement.
This year the group created a sensory garden, grew vegetables, planted and maintained the other garden areas, crafted bug and bee hotels, made a mosaic table and expertly weaved willow bird feeders.
Harvest Share
This year, we successfully grew and harvested vegetables, which were donated to local community groups and Stratford-upon-Avon Hospital Café. These contributions provided fresh, nutritious food to those in need, supported local health initiatives, and created a sense of community wellbeing and sustainability.
We also visited local orchards to pick apples and other fruits, which we donated to care homes in the community, helping to reduce food waste and provide fresh produce to residents.
Talking Therapies
We worked in partnership with Coventry, Warwickshire, and Solihull NHS Talking Therapies to signpost and support people in the local community to access and make referrals to their free NHS service to help individuals with mild, moderate and severe symptoms of anxiety and low mood.
We promoted the Talking Therapies service through online platforms, engaging events, interactive workshops, and personalised 1-1 coaching sessions to enhance mental health and provide essential support for those seeking valuable help.
Acknowledgements
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all of our funders, donors, volunteers, corporate supporters, team members, and trustees for their invaluable contributions and unwavering support, which have made this year a remarkable success.