Whats the therapeutic part all about?
A passion for gardening in the community
My name is Sam Oldman and I have had a passion for gardening for as long as I can remember, my RHS training is being completed at Royal Edinburgh horticultural college and Thrive therapeutic and social gardening institute.
Through spending time in the garden with my own family I have found that by just being outside and completing tasks together, in our own time, we all seem to find a sense of calm. This has sparked my interest in the benefits of gardening to all of us and particularly with young children, adolescents and adults that experience a number of difficulties where time to talk and relate can really make a difference.
Gardening is a wonderfully flexible medium that can transform lives and Oldman and Sons sees first-hand how gardening can help everyone, regardless of age or disability.
Social and therapeutic horticulture is the process of using plants and gardens to improve physical and mental health, as well as communication and thinking skills. It also uses the garden as a safe and secure place to develop someone's ability to mix socially, make friends and learn practical skills that will help them to be more independent.
Using gardening tasks and the garden itself, Oldman and Sons can build a set of activities for each gardener or a community to work on certain goals they want to achieve.
The benefits of a sustained and active interest in gardening include:
- Better physical health through exercise and learning how to use or strengthen muscles to improve mobility
- Improved mental health through a sense of purpose and achievement
- The opportunity to connect with others – reducing feelings of isolation or exclusion
- Acquiring new skills to improve the chances of finding employment
- Just feeling better for being outside, in touch with nature and in the 'great outdoors'
At Oldman and Sons we are looking to be become more involved with our community to provide gardening and horticultural projects that can make a difference, get in touch to talk to us more.
Therapeutic Gardening
Using gardening tasks and the garden itself, Oldman and Sons can build a set of activities for each gardener or a community to work on certain goals they want to achieve.