“I remember one time I was sat on the bench, not really thinking anything but feeling dreadful, when a blackbird flew in a nearby tree and started singing. It was such a joyous sound and lifted me out of the dark place I was in. That is what is so special about gardens and nature. They give so much without wanting anything from you in return.”
- Becky, who experiences bipolar disorder
During the past year, your mental health may have benefited from you getting outdoors and connecting with nature. Recent research* reveals that 92% of people found their gardens and outdoor spaces to be “extremely important” to them during lockdown in terms of health and wellbeing.
Currently, the majority of our crisis houses do feature an outdoor space that offers people who have reached breaking point somewhere they can relax. However, there are a few gardens that urgently need to be renovated to help support the recovery of people who are experiencing a mental health crisis and desperately need our support.
One such space is at our Field View crisis house – a large garden with bags of potential that currently lacks colour or greenery, comfortable places to sit in the open or any features that will attract wildlife to the garden.
Certainly for Becky, her life was profoundly changed for the better because of the peace and calm she felt while sitting in the garden of our Sheffield crisis house. A place that helped her get through a severe episode of depression, grow in confidence and connect with other people.
By giving a gift of £10 today, you could help transform the garden at Field View place which gives people severely affected by mental illness an opportunity to reflect and recover from a period of crisis.
In addition, once the fundraising target is reached for the renovation, the rest of the money raised by our spring appeal will go towards supporting other areas of Rethink Mental Illness’s vital work, such as our 130 local support groups and life-changing Advice and Information Service. Services that more and more people urgently need right now because of continuing job losses, rising debt, relationship problems, loneliness and severe anxiety.
Devastating issues that have resulted in more people experiencing a mental health crisis during the coronavirus pandemic than ever previously recorded.**
Will you give a gift today to help transform the lives of people severely affected by mental illness like Becky?