Tebay Services is creating a therapy garden to help people who struggle with their mental health, thanks to a partnership with Growing Well - a UK mental health charity.

Growing Well already has a similar project at Low Sizergh farm near Kendal. The charity has said that gardening is beneficial for people struggling with mental health, as it helps to learn new skills. The new therapy garden will be next to a service station on the M6 in Cumbria. They aim to help 100 people each year in Eden and north Cumbria.

Mary Smith, chief executive of Growing Well, said that “there are big gaps in mental health services, an ever-growing need post-Covid, and rural isolation is a particular problem.”

Volunteers will work in the garden one day a week, under the supervision of growers and mental health support staff - they can either be referred by a GP or refer themselves. The garden will supply vegetables to the farm shop and kitchen located a few hundred metres away. The project will open to volunteers in January and will also create four full-time jobs.

The charity has said they will provide their volunteers with a chance to learn new skills, rebuild confidence, and help them return to education or employment.

Image from the BBC