PlantWorks UK is the first company to provide direct funding to support the Life at No.27 initiative.
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Life at No.27 is a non-profit organisation which aims to position gardening and ?Grow Your Own? as an early intervention therapy. This is for people struggling with mental health challenges.
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The initiative, which has been set up by Annabelle Padwick will use allotment and community gardens as bases. It will give them an opportunity to try out gardening as an alternative to the therapy options currently available.
Empathy partners with Life at No 27
PlantWorks UK will support the initiative under its Empathy brand.
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Mark Mackie, a company Director at PlantWorks said: ?We became aware of Annabelle due to her impressive social media presence. We approached her after listening to her talk at GLEE.
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“We wanted to offer her products for new referrals to the Life at No.27 initiative. After listening to her wider aims we felt compelled to be more proactive.
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“Supporting the Life at No.27 initiative is now an essential part of our strategy. The potential it has to inspire people, whilst promoting the benefits of gardening as a pastime is not to be missed.
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?The initiative has all the right factors to help to grow the gardening industry further. To be involved from the very beginning is a fantastic opportunity for PlantWorks.?
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Annabelle founded a blog called Life at No.27 in 2015 which documents her journey. She took on an overgrown allotment as total newbie whilst dealing with anxiety and other mental health struggles. She said: ?I am delighted and grateful that that the Empathy/PlantWorks team have pledged the first funds to support Life at No.27.
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“The company?s generous donation will be used to devise the first therapy programmes, get the initial allotments set up and to promote the initiative as far and wide as possible.
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“PlantWorks support enables to me to begin to create the therapy option I was never offered. I can start to drive the initiative in to government where the change needs to take place.?
