University expands gardening mental health support

As a student ambassador of the garden, Elinor Casey has mental health first aid training to help support others

A Kent university is expanding a garden which aims to help the wellbeing of its students.

The Community Oasis Garden at the University of Kent's Canterbury campus is a space for students to spend time, find a sense of community and work on biodiversity projects.

Students can be referred to the project by university support services or through mental health charity East Kent Mind, which also runs the garden.

PhD student Lewis Sawyer said the garden was "a way to sort of release stress and have some time out, because it can be difficult to step away from things when you're in academia".

Lewis Sawyer says gardening helps to "release stress"

Mr Sawyer was referred to the garden team by the university support service when he was doing his undergraduate degree.

He added: "A lot of the time you're just sat in a library, looking at a computer screen, typing, headphones, music, so it can be nice to get back to nature."

So far this year the gardeners have reclaimed a patch of overgrown land turning it into beds for planting and have increased their biodiversity impact by creating ponds and bug hotels.

Students also plant and grow produce alongside volunteers from the local area.

The project is set to take over another building and garden space due to demand and after outgrowing its facilities.

'A place for well-being'

Garden ambassador Elinor Casey says students "work on improving and expanding all the time…it gives people a space to just have a breath, university life can be really stressful".

"It's really a place for well-being," she added.

Universities have been asked to review access to their mental health services in a recent review of higher education suicide deaths by the Department for Education.

It followed calls from campaigners in recent years for universities to have a legal duty of care towards students.

Universities UK, which represents the sector, said they were "joined in their commitment to prevent student suicides".

Gabriel Scannicchio was looking for a sense of community after moving from Italy to Canterbury to study when he started volunteering at the garden

Masters student Gabriel Scannicchio has also been benefiting from getting involved in the garden, as he is becoming used to being around big groups of people.

"We have a lot of volunteers coming and going and me being one of them obviously meant that I have to be around them quite a lot," he said.

The University of Kent said it was investing in opportunities and activities to support mental wellbeing as well as employing mental health advisers and counsellors.

Lee Fellowes, deputy director of student services and head of student support and wellbeing at the university, added: "Students and young people in general are struggling, the NHS does have resource issues so it's really important for us to support and look after our students.

"We will look at a variety of different options of support including outdoor practical natured support."