Grow Outside C.I.C. is a social enterprise that works with communities and individuals to encourage healthy lifestyles, promote mental and physical wellbeing and reduce social isolation through health-promoting nature-based activities, particularly horticulture and crafts.

Our projects are based on social and therapeutic horticulture principles, encouraging people to care for the environment, grow their own food and plants for a range of uses, and create natural and social spaces.

More broadly, we work to: provide horticultural training and educational activities; carry out conservation and wildlife projects to enhance local habitats; encourage access to green spaces and promote benefits to local communities, especially in terms of health and wellbeing; share skills and resources within the local community; and make the sites we work on self-sustaining.

Training delivery and workshops – including our new workplace wellbeing sessions – can run in the community gardens, village halls, and business venues, or from the project van in a range of locations (the fully-equipped van includes a 3x3m gazebo and quiet generator; equipment can be used indoors and outdoors).

As part of the project, participants can:

• learn, practise and share horticultural and craft skills and techniques

• gain access to green space without the responsibility of a garden or allotment tenancy

• help to build a community garden that will provide resources for learning and education as well as fresh produce, eg, flowers, fruit and vegetables

• improve physical and mental health and wellbeing

• build confidence and socialise with new people