Growing Well ‘HQ’ is a six-acre organic fruit and vegetable farm on the outskirts of Kendal at Low Sizergh Farm, in South Cumbria in the English Lake District. Low Sizergh Farm is part of the National Trust’s Sizergh estate, and we have been tenants of the Park family’s organic dairy farm since they offered our founders the opportunity to set up a horticulture enterprise for mental health in 2004.
Since then we’ve grown in size and helped hundreds of people recover from mental health challenges, with our unique approach to recovery through supported activity in the outdoors, within a real-world horticulture enterprise, supported and guided by experienced therapeutic growers and mental health support staff.
Our volunteer beneficiaries attend one day a week for up to a year, setting goals, rebuilding confidence and learning new skills in a safe, supportive, non-judgemental environment. Being able to talk and work side by side with people experiencing similar difficulties is key.
Our produce
We run a ‘Crop Share’ veg box scheme here, with over 100 local Crop Sharers who enjoy year-round fresh, seasonal, organic local vegetables and fruit. It provides vital guaranteed commercial income to run the farm and support our mental health work.
It also means there is a real purpose to the work our beneficiaries undertake. The food they grow and nurture is being appreciated and valued by local families, and being a real-world business rather than a drop-in gardening activity means there are deadlines, team goals, challenges to overcome, and obligations to other volunteers working on other days.
This all helps build confidence, connections and self-worth as volunteers work towards progression to employment or education or some other life goal. We typically supply about 37 weeks of Crop Shares per year, reflecting the seasonality of the growing year in South Cumbria, directly grown by our volunteers and staff team.
The majority of our produce goes to Crop Share but we also sell retail at Low Sizergh Barn farm shop and other venues, and if we have a seasonal glut of a particular vegetable these are sold wholesale to Organic North, who supply fresh organic vegetable all over the country.
Surpluses from the weekly Crop Share harvest go to our free ‘Volunteer Shelf’ so beneficiaries, many of who are on low incomes, can take home and eat the fresh healthy food they have grown and picked that week.
Replication: Growing Well at Tebay Services
We think the Growing Well model is so good and so much needed that we want to replicate it around Cumbria so that everyone is no more than an hour away from our service.
In 2022 we partnered with Westmorland Family who have generously supported us to open our second site, at Tebay Services Northbound on the M6, with £180,000 additional funding from the National Lottery Community Fund.
Growing Well at Tebay Services opened in January 2023 and is already making a difference to people’s lives in Eden and North Cumbria.
In 2023, we were delighted to announce plans for growing Well West Cumbria, which will be based in Egremont. We extend our most sincere thanks to our project funders, The Copeland Community Fund, National Lottery and the NDA for making this possible.
Find out more
Get help
To find out more about how Growing Well could support your mental health see our Information and Support pages. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or think you might need a different kind of support this directory from Cumbrian charity Every Life Matters is an excellent resource.
Give help
To donate, fundraise for us, offer business support or give your time and expertise to Growing Well as a Support Volunteer or Community Volunteer, see our Get Involved pages
Refer someone
If you are health professional or other referrer see our About Us pages to learn more about Growing Well and what we do, and our Information & Support pages aimed at potential beneficiaries. There you will find our referral page for health professionals.