Growing Well is celebrating 20 years of supporting people with their mental health recovery through horticultural activity and, in celebration, twenty of the charity’s closest supporters are embarking on a variety of fundraising challenges with the aim of raising £20,000. The “20 for 20” campaign will showcase and champion the fundraising efforts of these amazing local individuals and groups.
Since coming here she has found that her Growing Well day gives her an invaluable sense of purpose, "I love the sense of community and belonging, working alongside other people who I know are having similar struggles really helps. I leave at the end of every day proud of what I have achieved and what we have achieved as a group. I want to fundraise for Growing Well because they have supported me, seen potential in me that I couldn’t and help me every week to set and achieve goals. Raising money for them is a way of thanking them for their incredible concept."
It was a sponsored swim for another charity three years ago that inspired Alice to do the same this year for Growing Well’s 20th birthday. ‘I swam for a charity that supported mums with mental health problems and found that through publicising my swim I was also reaching people who either needed support themselves or knew someone else who did. I hope I can do the same for Growing Well this year and get the word out about just how beneficial it is and how their hands on and personal approach really does work.’ Alice photographs each of her days on site and shares them with friends and family on her social media, both to show them what she’s been doing and to bring Growing Well’s activities to life. ‘It’s only by being here that you really understand how amazing it is.’
Alice has been a keen lake swimmer for the last 10 years and finds it very beneficial for her mental health, so a swim seemed like the perfect challenge for her to set herself and use as a mechanism to raise funds and awareness for us, but she’s not stopping there. To celebrate 20 years of Growing Well, Alice is also going to walk 20 miles. As someone who suffers from hypermobility and the physical difficulties it brings, she has decided to challenge herself with walking this distance throughout June in a series of shorter stages and now her children are joining her too. She said "It’s been great for them to understand why mummy goes to Growing Well, where and what it is. Now they’re getting involved too and really enjoying it."
To sponsor Alice and help her raise vital funds for us you can go to her Just Giving page here:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/alice-pattinson-1705432536727
For those of you who don't know, Sinead's year hasn't quite gone as planned as she underwent emergency abdominal surgery in April and has been recovering since then.
Sinead had hoped to be fit and strong enough for her big challenge by now but sadly - and understandably - isn't able to undertake the arduous open water swimming, long distance cycle ride and Great North Run.
"I have deferred my entry for the Great North Run to 2025 and will try again next year! In the meantime, I'm swimming regularly and will hopefully be back on my bike soon." says Sinead.
"I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated to Growing Well, am just sorry that I’m not in a position to undertake my challenge at this point in time. Be assured, I'll be back next year to complete my Great North Triathlon Challenge!"
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Sinead McCann is the Manager at Growing Well Kendal, where she works full-time overseeing the day to day running of the site, supporting staff and volunteers who grow all the amazing produce that comes from the largest organic vegetable farm in Cumbria.
When she turned 50, Sinead did a Half Ironman in New Zealand, with another big birthday looming in November, she is going to undertake her own swim – bike – run challenge to raise funds for Growing Well.
Sinead’s Great North Triathlon (GNT) will involve swimming across the 5 largest bodies of water in the Lake District, cycling coast to coast and then completing the Great North Run on consecutive weekends this summer (in August & September).
Sinead says “Doing my own Great North Triathlon will be tough – it’s a while since I’ve done anything so physically challenging. I’m looking forward to doing the swim and bike ride with friends and have always wanted to take part in the Great North Run. Raising money for Growing Well will hopefully give me the motivation I’ll need to get to the finish line – wish me luck!”
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Click on the LINK BELOW to support Sinead's challenge and support Growing Well 20 For 20.
The Growing Singers is a 60-strong fundraising community choir. Founded in January 2023, it donates a percentage of fees and all the money collected from performances and community events to Growing Well. During its first year Growing Singers donated over £1500 towards the costs of running Growing Well.
As well as being enthusiastic about the benefits of singing, Clare and Rachael both see the benefits that Growing Well brings to it’s volunteers.
“My first job in Kendal was at Growing Well” says Clare “and over 7 years there I often used to say that I’d hit the job jackpot, so much did I love the work and being there. When I moved back into choir leading it felt really good to continue the connection with such a worthwhile local charity”.
Rachael wholeheartedly agrees: “We are both well aware of the mental health and other benefits of singing with others in a group and we love supporting Growing Well in this way with the choir. We’re also enjoying exploring other connections that Growing Well and Growing Singing may develop over the years”.
The route totals just under 20-miles and has been planned by two of our Tebay minibus drivers, Jon Tombs and Joe Faulkner, both passionate and experienced outdoor instructors.
“It is an obvious statement that exercise is good for us - physically, emotionally, and mentally.” says Jon, who has had a lengthy career working with young people in outdoor activities.
“Working outdoors every day I see for myself how spending time in nature is great for everyone’s wellbeing. Whether it’s walking or more vigorous exercise, it gives us a powerful and very welcome dose of mental goodness.”
“I’m really looking forward to being involved in the anniversary walk for Growing Well. We’re all hoping it will encourage and inspire people to get out and exercise in Cumbria’s beautiful countryside, whilst raising vital funds for the charity.”
In 2022 Growing Well and Westmorland embarked a major new project to open a second Growing Well site at Tebay, situated on an old caravan park adjacent to their M6 northbound services.
Growing Well at Tebay Services opened in the spring of 2023 thanks to significant funding and in-kind support from The Westmorland Family. In the following year this site has supported hundreds of volunteers in Eden and North Cumbria on their journey towards mental health recovery.
Westmorland Family Chair Sarah Dunning: “We are delighted to be to working in partnership with Growing Well on a project that will help to address one of the great needs in our community, which is mental health.”
For Growing Well’s 20th year, Westmorland have set themselves the target of raising £20,000 for our charity through a combination of fundraising events and activities at Tebay Services, Rheged, and the Westmorland Hotel.
Follow us to find out what they get up to and how they progress!
On Sunday 14th April, Gina will be running her 10th marathon raising funds for the Growing Well’s 20-year appeal.
Both Dave and Gina have had their mental health challenges over the years and Growing Well as a local mental health charity really resonated with them. As well as running a marathon for Growing Well, Pennington's have created a special fundraising coffee, on sale in local shops and on their website, from which 10% of sales will go into the funds.
https://penningtonscoffee.co.uk/collections/coffee/products/growing-well-coffee
She sees participating in the Great North Swim as a milestone in her recovery from a mental health crisis in summer 2023.
“The decision to try and swim a significant distance in Windermere will require commitment, mental and physical strength and a lot of training. I think that confidence and self-belief are also key”.
These are two things that Alison is working on at Growing Well Kendal, where she started volunteering in November 2023.
“At a time when I felt very low, I was referred to Growing Well, knowing that being engaged and busy as well as being outdoors was what I needed. To be accepted and encouraged to participate in physical tasks that are mentally absorbing, working at your own pace whilst being surrounded by people who understand without question has been entirely refreshing.”
As a sign of her appreciation of Growing Well and how being there is supporting her recovery, Alison wants to raise money by asking people to sponsor her Great North Swim.
She says “I hope that doing the swim will help raise the profile of a local and pioneering charity that I am lucky to be involved with. At the same time, spreading awareness of the very real need for us all to talk about mental ill-health is important to me and hopefully enable other people to experience healing the Growing Well way.”
Good friend of Growing Well Simon Wheatley is going to be busy on the sands of Morecambe Bay at Bardsea creating one of his magical Mandalas, and he wants you to join him and lend a hand!
Mandalas are Buddhist devotional images often deemed to symbolise an ideal universe. Mandalas come in many forms, often painted on scrolls, and Simon has become something of an renowned expert for creating these on sandy beaches, not to mention his other incredible beach artworks.
“I’ve chosen the August date because of the tides in Morecambe Bay as the 11th falls in a neap tide week and, according to my tide tables, we should have a dry beach to draw on that day.”
There’s plenty of free parking at Bardsea with easy access onto the sands. It’s also where Netflix filmed Simon recently making a Mandala for National Geographic (should be on your TV screens in late summer).
There is no charge for attending or participating in this event, but there will be collection tins if you would like to show your support for Simon and his fundraising for Growing Well.
Click on the links below for the location of this event.
“When I entered I’d just had knee surgery and been told I could never run again. I believed I’d never travel fast(ish) and light over the fells, and that I’d lose my favourite way to get lost in my head.”
Those long days on the hills with even longer conversations with friends would be crushed. I believed I’d lost something that is who I am and makes me simply and fundamentally soul-level happy.
With the support of a good physio, some boldness about what’s possible, some necessary medication and putting up with a bit more pain and Kate was back on the hills, “and that makes me happy.”
“Entering the Spine was about challenging my ability to believe in what’s possible. Through all this I realized the true impact the outdoors and running has on my mental wellbeing.”
“Growing Well is a wonderful local charity doing the frontline work to support people with their mental health and they do it through the practical pleasure of growing things to eat and the power of community.”
A team of six (possibly even more!) are planning an additional fundraising epic for Growing Well in the form of undertaking a 5-peaks challenge for us on 28th September.
“I have racked my brains and come up with an idea for a ‘big challenge’ and the inspiration arrived in the form of a ‘5 Peaks Challenge’ in September. We will be walking up five Lake District peaks in one day in - Rossett Pike, Allen Crags, Great End, Ill Crag and the small matter of England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike.”
“In total, this represents nearly 1,400m of ascent and a walking distance of more than 20k. The intention is to complete the challenge in approximately 8-10 hours.”
If you’re inspired by our ’20 for 20′ team and would like to help raise funds for our charity then we’d naturally love to hear from you – contact our fundraising team at fundraising@growingwell.co.uk
Should you wish, you can make a one-off donation or register your fundraising activities for Growing Well on our 20th Anniversary JustGiving page.
All are welcome to join the party on Saturday 21st September at Castle Street Community Centre, Kendal LA9 7AD.
Doors open at 7.15pm and the dancing starts at 7.30pm. Soft drinks and light refreshments will be available.
As a Support Volunteer, Kath spends every Tuesday working alongside core volunteers and staff on the field and in the polytunnels at the original Growing Well site at Low Sizergh.
“Growing Well is a special place - there’s such a positive sense of camaraderie on site - we all work together, immersed in the tasks. It builds real connection - to the environment - to growing and to each other. We share a sense of satisfaction and pride in what we do, and I feel good knowing that I’m supporting other people to improve their mental health along the way. It’s my happy place!”
Kath had the idea of hosting a ceilidh close to the Harvest Moon to bring people together to celebrate Growing Well and to raise funds while having a good time.
She invited Carolyn Francis and The Lakeland Fiddlers to be the band for the night, as they’re known for the lively atmosphere they create with their music.
Tickets are £10 (adults) and £5 (under 16s) and can be purchased at: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/66383
You can find out more about the Lakeland Fiddlers on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LakelandFiddler1
For over 20 years the festival has committed to fundraising for a wide range of charities through offering not for profit food stalls on the festival site in the Feel Good Food Tent.
The Smoothie Stand is run by Elaine herself, and is a real family affair with Kate, her daughters, brothers, nieces, cousins (and about 30 other volunteers) all working there throughout the Festival.
Held on the last weekend in July it proved to be a record breaking year blessed with hot sunny weather, with freshly blended smoothies being sold non-stop over the four days of the Festival. The proceeds from the sales of smoothies were split between a few charities, and they have kindly chosen to donate £4,000 to Growing Well's 20 For 20 campaign as one of those good causes.
Setting off from Old Dungeon Ghyll car park in the Langdale Valley, Clare and the team will ascend to our first peak, Rossett Pike (651m), followed by Allen Crags (785m), then to Great End (910ml), then on to Ill Crag (935m) and finally to England's highest peak Scafell Pike (978m).
In total, they will walk approximately 20k throughout the day, ascend 1390m and be out on the fells for between 8 and10 hours – this is definitely not for the faint hearted!
“Growing Well is a great referral partner allowing us to promote recovery and gain support for individuals who are experiencing moderate to severe mental health. The benefits of Growing Well’s alternative approach in a community setting, providing activity as an alternative or alongside other therapies for those requiring on-going support, is very valuable.”
Join us at The Factory Tap in Kendal on Wednesday 30 October for a spook-tacular vegetable themed quiz.
All welcome, entry is £2 per person – max. 6 people in a team.
Prizes for winning team and best team name.
Patrick freely admits that, having never ran any distance like this previously, choosing a run with the reputation of one of the UK’s toughest half marathons may have been a bit of a jump in the deep end, with gradients on some of the hills reaching 1:3 in places.
He wants to do this to support the work being done through Growing Well, especially for the new site that has opened up in his local area of Egremont and West Cumbria. The money raised from this will go to helping support people who need it that are facing difficulties with their mental health and helping to positively improve their lives.
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If you'd like to support Patrick and help raise funds for Growing Well, please click on the link below.
The event is open to everyone - come along and join us! We're sure you'll have fun, learn a new skill and eat the most delicious food all at the same time as supporting two brilliant not-for-profit organisations. What’s not to like?
This is a 'pay what you feel' event - £15 per person is suggested, but it's up to you!
Dosa Chaska are a West Cumbrian-based non profit organisation and a catalyst for unity in our community through the vibrant world of Indian cuisine. Our Indian food experience unites diverse individuals, fostering a sense of togetherness while educating about the health benefits of Indian vegetarian dishes infused with an array of flavours and spices.
Please contact Hannah Wright at hannah@growingwell.co.uk to book your place. First come, first served!
"Besides the many things that are amazing about Growing Well, we particularly resonate with its understanding that for a significant proportion of individuals, talking therapy is not always the best solution to recovery, despite being the most commonly prescribed form of therapy."
"What’s particularly striking for us is that many say that the day they attend Growing Well is the best day of their week."
"With Growing Well being a small charity, and fundraising and grants being hard to bag as of current, means that fundraisers like this run will have great impact in helping them to continue to do their fabulous work. So please, please donate what you can - it will mean so much to us, but even more so to Growing Well and its beneficiaries!"
Alice has set an incredible target of £10,000 for her fundraising and is already well on the way to achieving this with very generous donations from friends, family, well wishers and local businesses. You can visit her JustGiving page via the link below.