30 Years of Mental Health Recovery at Bridewell Gardens
‘Time teaches that recovery is not linear...for those of us who experience mental illness, time is an essential part of our toolkit’ Lucy Jones, Losing Eden
Time is something we can offer at Bridewell for those recovering from a severe mental health condition. We’ve been offering mental health recovery from our beautiful walled garden and vineyard for 30 years now. At the gardens people can work alongside others, learn new skills, and importantly find time to rebuild confidence, self-esteem and find hope for the future.
Gardening and of course the ethos at Bridewell is very much about looking forward, but our 30th anniversary this year provides the perfect opportunity to cast an eye back over Bridewell’s history and the formation of the recovery service all those years ago.
So, how did it all start?
Origins
The walled garden was built in the 1880s for Wilcote House and the land belongs today to the Cecil family, long term supporters and patrons of Bridewell. After World War One the walled garden fell into disrepair.
From 1987-1994 the walled garden was used by the charity New Yatt Riding for the Disabled. When Bridewell first leased the area the stable block and walled structures, and some very stony grassy areas were all that could be seen.
Bridewell Gardens began life in 1994 as an offshoot of Oxfordshire Mind. Staff at the Oxfordshire Mind day centre in Witney identified the need for something over and above the services they already offered, a project where people with mental health problems could find time and space for recovery. Bridewell was one of the earliest social therapeutic horticulture projects established in the UK.
The entire development of the garden site was a group collaboration with staff, volunteers and people who benefitted from the service, gardeners. It was a massive group effort. Photos from these early days give a flavour of the ambition and foresight, the long term thinking and hope, and of course the many hours of hard work that helped shape the garden spaces we see today.
Vineyard
In 1999 Bridewell leased an additional 5 acres of land from the Wilcote Estate. The field to the south of the walled garden had previously been farmed for crops including wheat. Over a 2 year period, the field was transformed into a vineyard. Trenches were dug, posts to support the vines were installed and 1,800 Orion and Phoenix vines were planted. Enormous thanks to the many early supporters of Bridewell who sponsored a vine to help get this project started.
The foresight, imagination and perseverance of the founding team gave us the site that we know and love today. The garden’s many varied areas include the cottage garden, raised beds, knot garden, hot border, herb wheel, potager as well as the workspaces, the forge and woodworking area.
Funding
Bridewell, as a project established under Oxfordshire Mind until 1998, was originally called Groundwork, with early funding from an ‘Opportunities for Volunteering’ grant from the national organisation, Mind. Some local authority funding was also obtained through ‘spot’ purchases of places by the county council.
In 1998 the decision was taken that Groundwork should be set up as an independent charity and it took the name of Bridewell Organic Gardens.
Bridewell is part of a consortium, led by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, working closely with other voluntary sector providers called the Oxfordshire Mental Health Partnership. This group is comprised of: Response, Elmore, Connection Support, Oxfordshire Mind, and Restore. We are sub-contracted by Restore to provide the recovery service for West Oxfordshire.
Over the years, funding for the recovery service has come from local authority funding and the NHS. Bridewell’s core contract today covers approximately 45% of the costs of delivering the service. Like other voluntary sector organisations, we fundraise each year to cover the gap between our contract and the true cost of delivery.
Next 30 Years?
A lot has been achieved over the last 30 years and Bridewell has established itself as a leading force in the field of social and therapeutic horticulture. Our reputation is well established in the field and our advice often sought.
However, we are constantly learning and evolving and don’t want to simply stand still; we have ambitions to develop the site and have exciting plans for the future.
Our next steps involve building a garden office which is fit for purpose, extending our polytunnel so that we can become more self-sufficient with plant propagation and increase the income we can generate from plant sales and creating an open-sided barn for all-weather activities and events.
In the next year Bridewell will be exploring how our site and recovery service can benefit young adults who experience mental illness, a group who are underserved by current services. We are also looking at opportunities to extend Bridewell’s reach beyond the walls of the garden at Wilcote, developing a community garden space that can be accessed by all.
With the support of friends and neighbours new and old, we know that Bridewell will be here for another 30 years helping more people in our community to find hope for the future. If you would like to support Bridewell you can read more here.
