A horticultural therapist has been helping to sow seeds of hope during the pandemic. Caroline Cook, who lives in Dronfield, encourages mental and physical well-being through gardening and nature. Catherine Roth reports.
PRIOR to the pandemic, much of Caroline’s work took place at care homes and day centres in Derbyshire and Sheffield, where she worked both on a freelance basis and as a gardening tutor for Age UK Derby and Derbyshire. Through her work as a horticultural therapist, Caroline encourages well-being in older people through gardening, flower arranging and nature.
While visits were unable to take place, Caroline helped to create the Sowing Hope project, an initiative co-ordinated by Age UK Derby and Derbyshire to bring a bit of well-being into people’s lives.
It was a simple concept: a coffee cup filled with compost, the plastic lid acting as a greenhouse, a packet of marigold seeds and an accompanying booklet filled…
Caroline’s website: wellwithnature.co.uk