Local centre requests gardening items to benefit people with mental health problems

A local mental health unit, run by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, is asking for donations of any spare gardening items such as bulbs, seeds, planting pots, soil or gardening tools which people might have at home and no longer use.

If you have recently bought a new garden bench or replanted your shrubs in new pots, the Low Secure Forensic service based at the Bretton Centre, Fieldhead, Wakefield, would be pleased to hear from you.

This service is for men from Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield with severe mental health conditions who require care under low secure conditions. It is made up of four wards and provides assessment, treatment and rehabilitation to those using its services.

Any furniture donated will be used in the Ryburn unit to make the outside space around the unit a more enjoyable and therapeutic area for service users. The unit, which is part of the Bretton centre, is a six bed unit providing the care people need before they are discharged from hospital. Any garden equipment donated will be used to engage service users in practical activities.

Laura Habib, who works on the unit, said "These activities have a number of benefits, including providing an opportunity for service users to engage in meaningful occupation and encouraging them to express their identity."

To help support the work of staff the Trust would be grateful for any garden related furniture that people would be willing to donate. With added resources the Bretton Centre can continue to provide service users with the care that is right for the individual in a safe, therapeutic and enjoyable environment.

For further details about how to donate people can contact Laura Habib on 01924 327041/01924 327042 at the Bretton Centre, Fieldhead Hospital, Ouchthorpe Lane, Wakefield.