Overview

Thrive Battersea Garden Project offers a gardening programmes to over 200 Londoners in four gardens in Battersea Park, and at community based outreach projects. The Main Garden on East Carriage Drive is also where our London office is based.
Thrive also work in the Herb Garden near the Albert Gate entrance to the Park. They have designed and created a garden which shows the diversity and beauty that can be achieved in a garden using culinary, medicinal and therapeutic plants.  The focal point of the garden is a glasshouse which is used for propagation and for tender plants like salads and tomatoes.
The Old English Garden was regenerated by Thrive.  It is maintained by Thrive gardeners and gives the opportunity for our qualification groups to carry out a wide range of work, from restorative measures to planting a large amount of bulbs and seeds.
In spring 2016 they started a partnership with Quadron to take on responsibility for the maintenance of Battersea Park’s Winter Garden.  This partnership supports delivery of a 6-month Winter Garden Pathway programme (as well as a further programme delivering a “Working it Out”Level 1 City & Guilds qualification in Practical Horticulture Skills). The Winter Garden is an ideal location to deliver programmes for those whose mental health requires a supportive and safe environment.
The Battersea Garden Project is approved to offer City and Guilds vocational qualifications Level 1 and Level 2.
Current programmes:
•  Working it Out – vocational training and support to enable unemployed disabled Londoners to overcome their barriers to employment and access job opportunities in London’s parks, gardening or horticulture
•  Life After Stroke – helps stroke survivors improve their mental and physical health by working with horticultural therapists at Thrive
•  Spice it up – For adults whose mental health means they need an environment designed to minimise stress and anxiety. As the clients benefit from this non-qualification environment, the horticultural therapist can assess them and route them to the appropriate qualification
•  Women Only Gardening Programme – Free programme started April 2017 that could lead to a City and Guilds qualification in Practical Horticulture is led by a female horticultural therapist
•  General sessions – Available for adults with a variety of conditions such as autism, physical disability, mental ill health and learning difficulties.