Nature's Haven Community Healing Garden
Our mission is to enable our community to access and learn about the therapeutic benefits of gardening and nature.
Nature’s Haven is an outdoor retreat to escape the pressures of everyday life. We aim to give our visitors a sense of strength and protection with the intention of providing a more tranquil state of mind.
Our healing garden will be filled with a variety of plants that promote a sense of wellbeing and hope. Our garden designs are based on the principles of a physic garden, focusing on the plants' inherent healing properties. It will be a place of refuge where peace, healing, distraction and stress relief is promoted.
Nature's Haven will create, maintain & continue to develop healing gardens to generate an abundance of positivity. The gardens will be restorative and yet enabling too, allowing the visitor to 'simply be', reflect & be fully present in the moment and/or actively engage in gardening through our social therapeutic horticultural programmes.
We will provide events and opportunities to engage as many people in our community as possible as we nurture and promote a feeling of connectedness.
We champion sustainability and we are guided by permaculture principles thus avoiding synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.
The gardens are designed with accessibility in mind. Wheelchairs will be able to access all areas of the garden and the paths and raised beds will help the visually impaired navigate their way around. We will also have adapted tools to assist with any mobility issues.
42 GoodGymers have supported Nature's Haven Community Healing Garden with 24 tasks.
Top supporters
Previous sessions
Boxed-In
Wednesday 30th October
Written by Windsor and Maidenhead runner
10 Goodgymers made their way to Nature's Haven where we met with Claire, our taskowner, who was already setting up the firepit and stringing up the lights. It promised to be a good night! In preparation for an important visitor in a few days days time, we had lots of jobs to do. In typical Goodgym fashion, everyone set to work on our various tasks. One group weeded an area and transplanted some hellebores, while others tidied the spare pots. Meanwhile others dug trenches in a bed and planted a row of box plants after first sawing off half their roots to ensure they fitted in the holes. Others weeded the beds and paths, and Ben proved to be very handy with the broom, leaving everything neat and tidy. We were rewarded with hot chocolate and marshmallows to toast over the firepit. Fantastic. Great work, Goodgym
Chop ‘n’ roll stars
Wednesday 28th August
Written by Windsor and Maidenhead runner
In a big week for getting the band back together, 11 GoodGymers reunited at our very own Oasis of calm: Nature's Haven.
This week's Masterplan was to cut down some unruly shrubbery behind the Community Centre to make way for new planting. We were Definitely Maybe up to the task.
Working our way through the bushes Little By Little, we quickly cleared what Some Might Say was an impressive amount. Check out our time lapse video on social media to see our progress!
There was even time for celebrations afterwards, with cakes (thanks Juli!) to mark Sheila's 701 good deed! Congratulations to Sheila, and also to Juli and Viv, who marked 200 and 10 good deeds respectively.
Thanks to everyone who helped!
Getting to the Root of it
Saturday 10th August
Written by Windsor and Maidenhead runner
Sheila and Sol went to help out at Nature's Haven, Sol coming Park Run-fresh ( but with a change of Tshirt!). Digging some recently- cleared ground was the order of the day, clearing out the buried roots. We found all sorts of things buried in the ground including an old toothbrush and a kitchen door hinge. Another satisfying morning's work
Double Dig at Nature's Haven
Saturday 3rd August
Written by Windsor and Maidenhead runner
Sheila and Rachel welcomed first-timer Neeta to Nature's Haven. After a quick tour around the garden, Neeta set to work doing some weeding and watering alonside other volunteers. Meanwhile Rachel and Sheila dug over a recently-cleared area, pulling out all the old bramble and shrub roots they could find. After a quick tea break, it was back to work, but the session was over before we knew it. Another satisfying morning at Nature's Haven, and it was great to get to know Neeta at what, we hope, will be the first of many Goodgym sessions
Hoe, Hoe, Hoe
Thursday 23rd May
Written by Windsor and Maidenhead runner
Sheila and Rachel went to help at Nature's Haven. Today was about maintaining the new flower beds around the fruit trees. Armed with hoes, forks and trowels, we took all the young weeds out of the bed, digging out any thistles which were appearing from beneath. By the end of the session, the bed looked beautiful!
Just Weed It!
Thursday 2nd May
Written by Windsor and Maidenhead runner
Angela, Rachel and Sheila joined the group of regular volunteers at Nature's Haven. Our first task was to help weed the flower and veg beds. Just as we were finishing Kanika managed to escape from work and join us. Our second task was to plant out some broccoli plants which had outgrown their seed tray Before we knew it, it was time to socialise over a cup of tea and celebrate Claire's birthday with chocolate cake! They are really building up a lovely community.
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