Garden Project

Community Projects

Healthy Living and Eating

The Garden Project is three-phase project promoting Healthy Living and Healthy Eating covering the following areas:

Summer Launch Event
Planting and growing
Healthy eating workshop

Project Summary

A programme of activities to promote “grow your vegetables and learn to cook with them” project. This promotes the core values of the Healthy Living Centre and combines with our working partnership with Aylesbury Garden Town to promote and support healthy living. We already have a project in place with Aylesbury Garden Town to create a Community Garden in Walton Court.

Phase 1 At the Healthy Living Centre, HLC, a) various areas within the courtyard in the forecourt of the Healthy Living Centre will have raised beds. b) creating a small Potager Vegetable and Flower Garden on a paved area adjacent to The Garden Meeting Room. This will be composed of raised beds, vertical gardens, plants in large pots and a central feature. c) the conversion of a small existing shrub bed and surrounding shrub-boarders along the fence.

Our Growing Healthier together project will focus on promoting the Walton Court Community garden, involving our nursery children with their families and local residents in planting and then following this with a series of Cooking and nutritional workshops facilitated by Aylesbury Adult learning to utilise the produce grown and to promote healthy eating.

Expected project outcomes and social impact?

We will launch our project at the Healthy Living Fayre and promote various aspects of Healthy Living and eating, from the preparation of healthy snacks to health and wellbeing such as dental hygiene and relaxation and exercise workshops to experience new activities

Our garden in Walton Court will encourage families to come together and spend time in our community garden offering the opportunity to form new friendships and social groups. we will be offering the longer-term opportunity to come and work in the Walton Court garden throughout the year giving the experience of working in the garden through all seasons.

Our Community Gardens will enable residents to improve the neighbourhoods, it will give all those who participate the opportunity for exercise spending time outside with others learning new skills and building new relationships, getting people active improves their overall physical health and working together provides social opportunities that build a sense of community and belonging. We hope that our garden will contribute to an improved healthy lifestyle by providing fresh, safe, affordable herbs, fruits and vegetables to the local residents.

We will actively involve the local community on understanding the process of growing food to the preparation of nutritionally balanced meals, how to prepare and cook healthy balanced meals for their whole families. We specifically will invite our nursery parents, and local residents to healthy eating and cookery workshops where they can become familiar with new foods they may not have experienced before and demonstrate how to prepare and cook these. Each workshop will offer the chance to form new social networks.

Healthy eating is one tenant of a well-balanced life. Healthy eating means getting enough of every important nutrient; choosing a variety of foods from every food group; and avoiding excessive fat, sugar, salt and alcohol. Our physical, mental and social health are connected to your diet and to one another. Improving one element can have a positive impact on the others. Working on your physical, mental and social health while you are improving your diet strengthens your efforts in every area, leading to an improved overall sense of well-being

Social Health

Eating healthy food can lead to weight loss, increased energy and improved mental health. Looking and feeling good positively impacts your self-confidence. Higher self-esteem can make you more confident socially, strengthening your desire to forge new friendships. Additionally, eating well can be a social activity. Sitting down for healthy, home-cooked meals can strengthen family ties.