Mental Health Support Gardening

Our volunteer garden is at the Idle Valley Nature Reserve, Retford.  For the full address and a map see our Contact page.

We work outdoors, on gardening, crafts and conservation, in natural surroundings with a supportive group of people.

You can learn traditional crafts such as willow weaving and bee keeping.

There's plenty of individual jobs and when you feel like company there's team work too.

Take a break from your troubles - get distracted by the garden for a day.

Our Garden
Muddy Fork garden at Idle Valley

Volunter Activities

Gardening.  We grow fresh food for the visitor centre café and wild flowers, reeds and trees for conservation.  There's a mix of light work (potting seedlings, weeding) and heavy work for the energetic (digging beds, clearing ditches).  Our polytunnels are good to work in when the weather is wild.

Willow.  Harvesting willow stems and weaving baskets, fence panels and bird houses for sale.

Bees.  You can get involved in looking after the bees and preparing the honey for sale.

In the woods.  We help with woodland conservation and making charcoal.

Wildlife.  We share our garden a host of wild life.  There's plenty of time to stop and admire a dragonfly or enjoy the bird song.


It's free to take part.  If this could help you, please get in touch...