Bloom & The Gang: Kate's Story
Today we are launching a new blog series celebrating the voices of women in the Bloom community. We wanted to share stories and experiences from our volunteers, women who attend the garden and our staff too. Spending time outside is so beneficial to our mental health and we believe that sharing experiences only makes us stronger. So, to kick us off the wonderful Caroline- who volunteers as part of our creative team- chatted with Kate to find out about how she got involved with Bloom …
Kate Evans: a Volunteer’s Story
Discovering Bloom
I was at Dyson Place having coffee with my husband and son one Saturday morning when I spotted the Bloom pop-up stall and was completely drawn to the flowers. When I read the signs ‘women's mental health’, ‘community garden’ and ‘locally grown flowers’ I thought, this is ticking every box for me. I approached Kendall, the director and founder, and told her that I was completely crackers about gardening, loved flowers, was interested in mental health, and if there anything I could do to help. Kendall invited me along to a Saturday open day, and I just turned up and had a really nice afternoon. From then on, I've been hooked!
Involvement as a volunteer
I met some lovely people on that first open day. I found it so liberating that it was all women and there was no pressure. None of us really knew what we were doing, but we just got stuck in. Another lady and I set about building a trellis with power tools. By the end of the session, we'd had tea and cake, we’d put the trellis up and it looked amazing! We said, ‘How have we done this?’ I'd never done anything like that before in my life! It gave me a huge sense of satisfaction seeing what I'd achieved.
Kendall later asked if I’d be interested in volunteering. I’d enjoyed it so much that I put my name down. That was in the middle of the second lockdown. I volunteered at the open day sessions as a welcomer for attendees, checking everyone was okay, making cups of tea and so on. It was perfect, as it meant I could attend further open days and get more involved in the charity. Recently, I’ve chatted to Kendall about Bloom expanding and needing more land, and my involvement has just snowballed.
‘I like that there is no pressure when volunteering; I can dip in and out as I want to. I do a two-hour session one night a week, and it just brings my week to a peak. I love it!’
Pressure-free gardening
Many of the women who attend Bloom don’t have an outdoor space they can call their own, especially the younger women who may live in flats, aren’t on the property ladder yet, or still live at home. They come along and have the freedom to help with whatever jobs they want. It’s free to turn up, you can stay for just 10 minutes or even four hours. There’s no pressure.
At Bloom, you always feel you can give your own ideas for the garden and that you’ll be listened to. It's a good vibe in there and it really doesn't matter if you do anything ‘wrong’. Everything with gardening is trial and error, anyway. If a plant dies, it dies; if it doesn't, it doesn't! I think that's what I liked about it. It’s a nice, encouraging environment to be in. A significant number of women feel under pressure in other areas of their life, so coming here provides a relief.
Women supporting women
I've met so many nice people at Bloom. Everybody's different; we’re from all walks of life and of all ages. We look out for each other but don’t intrude on what people are doing, as some women just want to be there on their own without the pressure of making conversation. As a volunteer, we go round checking everybody's okay and happy with the job they’re doing. A lot of people worry about whether they are weeding the right plant, and we say, ‘Don’t worry, just come and ask!’. It’s a safe space, where no one is going to judge you. I think that’s a big thing for women, especially these days.
‘It’s a safe space, where no one is going to judge you. I think that’s a big thing for women, especially these days.’
As women who appreciate the outdoors and the garden, we have common ground. Whether you've got kids or not, whether you're married or not, older or younger, you feel in a safe space and can talk about anything. We wouldn’t talk about mental health issues unless somebody wanted to. Even though we don’t all know each other that well, we’re now building relationships, chatting away and listening to other people's lives. Everyone cares, and we’re starting to form networks and friendships.
Impact on mental health and wellbeing
I’ve struggled with my mental health throughout my life, but particularly during the past 10 years through infertility issues and the process of adopting our son. I also have quite a stressful job as a cancer specialist nurse. So, to come into Bloom working as a team with no pressure, no responsibility, where you just do it all together, has been amazingly positive. It’s given me a bit of time on my own and has had a huge impact on my mental health. When I got well again, I wanted to give something back and soon realised how much I got out of the voluntary work. It came at just the right time and the more I do, the more I get out of it.
Caring for a plant, understanding how it's growing and being really proud of yourself when you've grown it, builds your confidence. When I was ill, I had no confidence at all and couldn’t cope with the smallest of things. Whereas here in the garden, I feel calm. My confidence and sense of hope in looking forward to things has grown. That’s huge. Kendall refers to it as ‘therapeutic horticulture’. If I’d attended something like this when I was ill, it would have helped me get better quicker.
‘If I could put my wellies on every day, I’d be a far happier person!’
After volunteering, I come home and I'm absolutely covered in mud, but feel so energised because we've had a good chat and a laugh. We've made massive progress in the garden as well, so you feel really satisfied with what you've done. Your brain is whizzing with new ideas. And you can tell other people are feeling the same, and feed off their positive energy.
My family have also noticed the positive impact that Bloom has had on me. My husband said recently, 'You are so you when you come back from the allotment because you've had time to be yourself.’
Learning new skills
Volunteering at Bloom has also led to an interesting avenue for me in terms of learning. I’ve always loved flowers, floristry and gardening but have never considered a career in it until now. Luckily, through Boom, I’ve met the flower gardener from Chatsworth who I am in awe of! Chatting to her about her job and my interests, she’s given me valuable advice about training in horticulture and I’ve since enrolled in the RHS Level 2 Horticulture course. I'm fine in my current job but I think I know deep down, if I could work in horticulture, putting my wellies on every day, I would be a far happier person!
Looking to the future
Gardening is always about thinking ahead and I'm really looking forward to the next season. We're already planning what bulbs we want to plant in the autumn for the spring, and what plants we need for foliage or certain flower shapes. I think next year we'll see the fruits of our labour; it's a hard slog at the minute as we're starting a new garden! Being able to look forward and share ideas is so good for mental health. It gives me real energy – a sense that we’re building the gardens for the future.
When Kendall tells me about the mental health groups that happen in the garden, I am so pleased to be involved in something that is supporting others. My time is going towards a greater good. We now want to help even more women, so we’ve been talking to health professionals to spread the word so that patients can be referred to Bloom for their wellbeing, as well as self-referring.
‘That’s what's so magical about a garden. It is literally just a bit of earth, but look what it can give people. It's incredible, isn't it, really?’
The more you think about it, the more you realise how a garden like Bloom can offer totally different environments for people, depending on what they need. For me, personally, I didn’t think I’d find anything to make me feel better. But now I’ve found it, it feels like I’m never going to get ill again.
Have you been to one of our Open Days or mental health groups? Would you like to tell us about your experience at Bloom? We would love to hear from you. You can email Kendall on kendall@bloomsheffield.com if you’d like to be involved.