Growing Well new ‘sister site’ is a 1.4-acre kitchen garden at Tebay Services Northbound on the M6 near Shap.
It is our first ‘replication’ project after nearly 20 years successfully supporting hundreds of people with their mental health at our Low Sizergh Farm site near Kendal in South Cumbria.
Growing Well at Tebay Services opened to its first beneficiaries in January 2023 and is already making a difference to people’s lives in Eden and North Cumbria
The site is a partnership project with services owners Westmorland Family, who have provided a rent-free site, funded the site build and horticultural and other infrastructure, and purchase all the produce we grow here for their Farm Shops and Kitchens. Funding of £180,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund was secured to support running costs during the first two years.
Growing Well at Tebay Services does not currently offer a Crop Share scheme like at Growing Well Kendal. Instead, freshly picked salad and other vegetables are prepared, cooked and served to services customers every day, just a few hundred metres from where they are grown. This single commercial customer provides vital income and stability to fund a proportion of our costs.
The site, a former static caravan park in a beautiful and secluded area at the southern end of the services, has been developed from scratch. Due to the hardstanding nature of the site, there is no growing in open ground – it’s all in polytunnels and raised beds.
The site was prepared with help from Westmorland Family staff, the polytunnels and raised beds were built by our team of staff and our first beneficiaries, and the refurbished modular social space and offices have been fitted out and kitted out by our team.
A new service for Eden and North Cumbria
Growing Well at Tebay services will eventually help 100 people a year from Eden, Carlisle and North Cumbria recover from mental health difficulties, with our unique approach to recovery through supported activity in the outdoors, within a real-world horticulture enterprise.
Our volunteer beneficiaries attend one day a week for up to a year, supported and guided by experienced therapeutic growers and mental health support staff. They are supported to set goals and learn new skills, rebuilding confidence in a safe, supportive, non-judgemental environment. Being able to talk and work side by side with people experiencing similar difficulties is key.
Find out more
Get help
To find out more about how Growing Well could support your mental health see our Information & 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.