David and Dean are running the Brighton half marathon for a great cause...

The Centre for Ecotherapy, at Stanmer Park, is a growing community that pools its resources to provide structured therapeutic gardening (Social and Therapeutic Horticulture) to adults and young people experiencing mental health issues, living with learning challenges and at risk of enduring isolation, in the community of Brighton and Hove.

What is Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH)?

STH is horticultural activities specifically designed and clinically recognised as an effective means of working with people to help them re-build their confidence, reduce isolation and dismantle barriers to work and social opportunities that they may have been experiencing due to their personal life conditions.

Why does it work?

- Working at practical horticultural activities alongside others provides much needed physical activity, skills development and the opportunity to become part of a community again, with the friendship and peer support that stems from that.

- Working in and with nature brings respite from anxiety and daily struggles, reduction of stress chemicals, a calming of the heart rate and a renewed sense of kinship with the natural world.

“I like the connection with nature, as cold as it is at the moment. It has kept me going through the darkest parts of the year and has at times left me with a reason to live”