Banbury area WI gives town's mental health unit a garden makeover

The central flower bed after the work done by Chacombe WI

A group of hard-working WI members has given Banbury’s mental health unit a much-needed garden makeover.

Chacombe WI has followed the national Women’s Institute organisation in its campaign to improve things for those with mental health problems – and the front garden revamp at The Elms has been welcomed by staff and patients alike.

The group had no budget but completed the work after receiving generous donations from Banbury area companies, charities and individuals.

Our before-and-after pictures show the huge contrast the group has achieved.

Rachel Taylor, Hilary Maggs, Rosemary Steel and Alison Castle during the garden make-over at The Elms

"We’re very happy with it and have been overwhelmed by the appreciation from both staff and patients,” said group member Alison Castle. “We think it will make a big difference to everyone.

"It was a lot harder than we thought it would be. There was a group of us who did the really hard stuff, digging out all the periwinkle, bindweed and mare’s tale which is a nightmare.

"We dug it all over and planted it, put membrane over it and wood chips. To start with we thought it was just a bit of tidying up but when we got going we realised it was a major task - a complete garden overhaul,” she said.“Hopefully next year some of the other members of the group will be able to come and do some weeding and pruning.”

Mrs Castle works at a Brackley GP surgery and appreciates the valuable work The Elms does.

The central flower bed before the makeover

"The Elms is amazing with what it does but mental health is so underfunded and there is no money for extras. We have been so touched by the comments - staff say it makes it so much nicer. And we have had donations from people (including patients) who have said what a big difference it makes to patients coming for appointments.“Now it's manageable anyone can go and tidy up. We've put in some evergreens so it looks OK during the winter and hopefully the bulbs we put in, in an area where we didn't put down membrane, will come up and add some colour in the spring.”

Mrs Castle thanked all those who donated to the project without whom the makeover would not have happened. “Without them we wouldn't have been able to do it,” she said. “Plants are expensive and it's a sizeable plot.”

Wickes supplied weed-suppressant membrane and bark; Homebase donated a £30 voucher for plants and Banbury Charities gave £200 which was crucial to completion.

AGU Tree Craft provided advice, securing the new shoot from the felled 200 year old Red Wood Tree whose stump was left as a feature, and supplying a log surround to keep the bark in place.

The second bed after a lot of work and replanting

The group also received a donation of £100 from Gus King who was born at The Elms when it was the Horton General Hospital’s maternity unit.

More information about the Women’s Institute ‘Make Time for Mental Health’ initiative can be found here https://www.thewi.org.uk/campaigns/key-and-current-campaigns/make-time-for-mental-health. The campaign focuses on improving the way people view mental health. It calls for parity between mental and physical health and asks for better support for those who need it.