THE team at Twigs Community Gardens is still helping people with mental health issues during the pandemic.

Social distancing requirements prevented the 60-plus service users from visiting the gardens and taking part in the usual activities.

Instead, staff and volunteers put together more than 40 gardening packs containing plants, seeds, compost, pots, sweet peas and willow to climb them up. These kits have been delivered to the homes of all the people who expressed interest in the idea.

A skeleton staff team have been doing what they can to maintain the gardens and the contents of the polytunnels, caring for and feeding the chickens,collecting the eggs, and maintaining the fish pond and its residents.

Manager Alan Holland said: “We had been sharing our thoughts on how we could maintain contact with, and support the people currently registered with the project. Supportive telephone calls were a starting point.

“Then we thought of all the plants our service users and volunteers had been growing and nurturing in the polytunnels, to be used both at Twigs gardens and to sell to the hundreds of visitors who attend our open days and special events, and the idea of putting together gardening packs emerged.

“Everyone we have delivered to has really appreciated their packs which we hope will continue to give pleasure and satisfaction over the coming weeks and help maintain a supportive link with the project.

“Our concern for people with mental health issues is at the forefront of all our work and, together with our colleagues at The Olive Tree Café and the Pinecones Café – all part of The Recovery Tree Charity and working towards the same end – we are determined to ensure that we do whatever we can under the present circumstances, and that our services will continue to be available, whenever we are free to offer them once again.”

“We look forward hopefully to the day we can all garden together again in the beautiful gardens on Cheney Manor.”

For further information on Twigs (Therapeutic Work In Gardening Swindon) and The Olive Tree Café, visit twigscommunitygardens.org.uk and theolivetreecafe.org.uk