"Community Garden transformed by Social Inclusion and Wellbeing volunteers"

As a volunteer for the Social Inclusion and Wellbeing Service I went to visit the community garden project in Forest Fields today. This project has a group of volunteers on Monday mornings to transform the overgrown and weed-infested grounds to a community garden, with areas to grow vegetables.

I had the opportunity to talk to a number of these volunteers about how they find working at the gardens. One volunteer said that he found it a wonderful opportunity to get out and about, meet people rather than being at home and feeling isolated and alone. He said he found that loneliness is a killer. Another volunteer said that he found working at the community garden has really helped him by making him feel useful, that he is giving something back. The volunteers are being supported by the Social Inclusion and Wellbeing service, who are working in partnership with Nottingham City Council.