AWE is proud of its relationship with charity partner Thrive and its amazing work it does. The Reading-based charity uses gardening and plants to improve the health and wellbeing of its clients who have a wide range of disabilities, health conditions and support needs. Over the last three years AWE and its staff have raised funds and made donations to support the development of clients like Hannah:
Hannah first started coming to Thrive when she was a pupil at Addington School, a secondary school for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties. She came to the Thrive garden once a week during term-time.
Teaching staff at Addington School noticed: “Hannah’s weekly visits to Thrive were a highlight of her curriculum. The real sense of freedom in being able to wander the gardens independently and take part in hands-on gardening activities appealed to her nature.
“She enjoyed the sensory activities: smelling herbs, touching different textures of leaves and flowers, listening to the birdsong, feeling compost and exploring the water features. The hands-on activities and natural environment were a brilliant learning setting for Hannah.”
Hannah’s mother, Dawn, also noticed how Thrive was helping Hannah: “With support through each session, Hannah has been able to achieve so much, from learning how to use gardening implements, pushing a wheelbarrow (without it falling over), potting on, washing plant pots, to name but a few! It’s a really happy place to be and the staff are wonderful.”
After leaving school, Hannah started coming to Thrive once a week. She enjoys trying new things and particularly likes tasting a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs when taking part in a cooking project. We haven’t yet found anything that Hannah isn’t willing to taste, although her facial expressions suggested broad beans weren’t a favourite!
For the third year Thrive has been our charity partner and we’ve all continued to support its invaluable work – through donations or individual fundraising – to help with maintaining its clients’ health and wellbeing. In 2021 Thrive received an additional AWE Charity Fund donation to help its client gardeners, like Hannah flourish at the weekly sessions.