Healthy Lifestyles & Wellbeing

Growing opportunities to promote positive lifestyles and wellbeing for everyone

Our healthy lifestyle and wellbeing services are delivered by the Growing Opportunities project at Ideal for All and offered from our fully accessible and award winning horticultural sites in Sandwell.

We provide therapeutic gardening, food growing, healthy cookery programmes and creative workshops, as well as a variety of opportunities to support people’s journey into work through vocational training and volunteering opportunities.

Throughout the year we organise social events and run short courses to help people improve their health and wellbeing and maintain their independence. 

Take a look at the impact our programmes are having on Health & Wellbeing and Employment & Skills.

 

What we offer

Grow for Work

Health, wellbeing, and employment support activities for adults aged 18+ and living in Birmingham or the Black Country (Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall, Wolverhampton). Through one-to-one and group support we look at the barriers people face and the ways they can overcome these to become more confident, optimistic, and ready for the world of work.

 

Gardening for Health

Therapeutic activities, social prescribing and tailor-made support for people accessing personal health budgets or health and social care provision (through inclusive support planning). We also offer advice, training and consultation services to organisations and health professionals looking to develop more inclusive and pioneering practices, and welcome partnership working at all levels.

 

Grow Well/Let’s Grow Together

Regular sessions, workshops, and volunteering opportunities on our sites and in local community settings. You can take part in gentle gardening, share your cooking skills, access social activities, or help out on our market stall and deliveries.

 

 

Ready Steady Grow ™

Tailor made curriculum related workshops (1.5 – 2 hours). These can be adapted for nursery groups, children’s centres, schools, and community groups delivered from our Salop Drive Market Garden. Enjoy outdoor learning experiences and take part in our interactive tour, ‘hands on’ gardening, seasonal harvesting and share in our food tasting activities.

 

Let’s Grow

Outreach sessions aimed at children, families, and young people. These operate from our sites and in community settings. Fully accessible and open to all ages and abilities, our skilled and trained teams can deliver at a venue of your choice.

 

Take part or book a session

Our healthy lifestyles and wellbeing services run Monday to Friday from our garden sites and in a variety of community-based settings.

For more information, to join a programme or book a session for your group, call the Growing Opportunities team on 0121 558 5555 or send an email and we'll be in touch.

 

Can't come to us? Let us come to you

Our team offers tailor-made outreach workshops and programmes packed with ‘hands on’ activities - fully accessible and open to individuals or groups in Birmingham and the Black Country.

Sessions include table-top gardening, windowsill food growing, cooking on budget, healthy eating workshops, relaxation and stress management, practical skills for work - delivered by trained horticulture therapists, garden staff and our health and wellbeing team.

Visit our Growing Opportunities Facebook page.

 

Buy seasonal produce from our gardens

Buy affordable and locally grown vegetables, fruit and local products from Salop Drive Market Garden and our market stall at Sandwell Hospital, in partnership with Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital Trust.

Income from sales is used to support Ideal for All's work and the people that use our services directly benefit.

 

Campaigns we back

Ideal for All is proud to support Sandwell's Feel Good 6 campaign, embedding the six ways to wellbeing in all we do.

Peas Please aims to bring together farmers, retailers, fast food and restaurant chains, caterers, processors, and government departments with a common goal of making it easier for everyone to eat veg.

 

Thanking our Funders

Ideal for All has been awarded a grant of £215,000 from Power to Change to support the development of our community gardens where local people can access fresh produce, gain new skills for employment and take part in health and wellbeing activities. Read more...