Our courtyard transformation is transforming lives
- Shrewsbury Ark
- 11 hours ago
- 3 min read
Thanks to the very generous support from local businesses and individuals, our courtyard has been transformed from a bare and grey space, into a flourishing garden where people can slow down, reconnect with nature, learn new skills, and take positive steps towards rebuilding their lives.
Research has consistently shown that gardening and spending time in green spaces can provide significant physical, mental, and social benefits, particularly for people facing challenging circumstances.
Whether it's planting seeds, tending raised beds, and watering crops, or simply spending time outdoors in a peaceful space, our courtyard garden is making a difference in so many ways.
One client, Brad says he enjoys coming out here a lot, taking care of garden every day, ensuring plants are watered and watching and monitoring their progress.
“I walk around, make sure there's no litter in the beds and just try to keep everything tidy and healthy. It’s one of my favourite places to be,” he says. “I'd say it's one of my coping mechanisms. It keeps me busy, keeps my mind busy, and it's healthy being outside.”
Our courtyard garden has four big flower beds, a narrow bedding strip along the back of the courtyard, several plant pots, and a bee house – so we’re also encouraging more insect life too!
Brad explains: “One of the beds has got potatoes in, another has cabbages and green beans, another has tomatoes—we've got two types: plum tomatoes and normal tomatoes—and there's also broccoli. In the final bed we've got various bits, including carrots, parsnips and spring onions. We've also got rhubarb—well, it's actually chard—and some sweetcorn and a few other bits.
“Alongside that, we've got loads of little plants and flowers that we're trying to take care of as well, just to make everything look nice. I also look after the flower bed out the front, where we're trying to get all the wildflowers growing. We have sunflowers out there as well, and they're coming along very nicely. We take all the weeds out as well and try to keep on top of it so the plants can get as much water and light as they need instead of having the weeds steal it all.”
As a former chef and also having worked in a warehouse distributing food to restaurants, Brad already knows a lot of vegetables, but he had never really experienced this first step in food production cycle.
“I’d done little bits of gardening here and there, but nothing like this. This is fantastic,” he says. “Having the opportunity to refresh my experience here has really brought it to life again for me.”
Plus, he’s really looking forward to eating what he’s grown!
“The only thing I don't really like is the green beans, so someone else can have those! I'd really be interested in making something with the carrots, the sweetcorn and the potatoes. Trying to make something out of all of that would be great,” he adds.
Our garden is so much more than growing plants and creating a peaceful place.
Brad says he’s got more confident and he’s learning more about responsibility. “That's one thing I never really liked before—taking responsibility—so I feel responsible for the wellbeing of the plants,” he adds.
Special thanks to the following organisations and individuals for helping transform our courtyard:
Carbon Earth: for donating the compost and topsoil for our raised beds
IHP/VINCI Building: for transforming the garden as their corporative volunteering hours, and built our raised beds
Enable Volunteers: for helping remove the old fence
Grant funders: who saw the benefit of the project and supported with funds for materials and plants.
Willowdene and their clients: for making our new picket fence
And in case you're wondering, here's what the courtyard looked like before the transformation, here's the before picture!
Thank you to everyone who supports us and helps us create initiatives for people (and plants!) to grow.
Huge thank you to all the individuals, businesses and other organisations who support us, and a huge thank you to our amazing team of volunteers.
We never charge for our services, and your contributions, whether through donations, fundraising, or volunteering, help us continue our mission of providing support for those in need across Shropshire.
Become a Friend of the Ark by setting up a regular donation, and help us to continue to continue our vital work in helping people in crisis; details are here.
What to do if you see a person sleeping rough
If you are concerned someone is sleeping rough on the street, contact Streetlink online at www.thestreetlink.org.uk. Call 999 if the person is in immediate danger, needs medical assistance, is under 18 or is with someone who is under 18.
