In recent months, our head horticulturist Lisa has been working alongside Community Living NZ to design and build raised garden beds that are wheelchair accessible.
Community Living NZ is an incredible non-profit organisation that works to provide support for disabled people throughout the middle North Island region. They are amazing at what they do, helping the disabled community thrive.
These new garden beds will be an excellent resource to encourage more wheelchair users to grow crops and plants in an accessible way.
With Lisa’s studies of Horticultural Therapy over the last 2 years she has gained knowledge and a passion for the therapeutic and beneficial aspects of gardening.
Growing produce has been shown to calm the mind, and promote healthy eating habits (usually people love to eat what they grow). Also, growing produce builds confidence through accomplishment. All these things struck Lisa as being core values everyone should utilise to live an enriching life.
Lisa has worked closely with Susan McHugh at Community Living NZ. Together Susan and Lisa regularly explore the ideas and skills that Lisa has to offer to see what other value could be added to the lives of Community Living NZ clients.
“Having the opportunity to support the teams at Community Living to enhance the residents' outdoor sensory experiences, is something that really excites me. This can be through water play, finding objects in sand, or creative miniature gardens and car racing tracks. If this is successful, I would also like to encourage residents to help with sowing seeds, watering and planting.” -says Lisa
Throughout the building process Lisa and Community Living have been able to reach out to some of the locals and orginasations who have been amazing ongoing help. A big thank you to Lochlan from Mitre 10 Te Awamutu who was kind enough to donate seedlings and also a huge thank you to Te Awamutu Menz Shed who built the garden beds. They have both helped keep costs down for Community Living through their generosity.
If you'd like to talk about this project, how you can help or would like a quote for a wheelchair-accessible raised vegetable garden, get in touch with Lisa today.
P: 021 640 665
