Community gardens bring people together around a shared purpose. They create opportunities to learn new skills, spend time in nature, build relationships and contribute to something positive in the local area. In this way, community gardens can have a real impact on people’s wellbeing.
We are pleased to share that the GLAS community garden in Ballymun is taking part in the European SPACE project (“Social Prescribing And Civic Engagement”), which explores how social prescribing and community participation can support health and recovery.
(You can read more about the wider project here: SPACE project)
At its heart, the project is looking at what happens when healthcare systems connect people not only to treatment but to community life.
A different kind of prescription
One of the strands of the SPACE project is the development of “social prescription pilots”: projects exploring how people can be referred to community initiatives. The idea is to link people to a place of belonging, not just to medication.
In the case of the GLAS garden, we are focusing on volunteering in community gardens as part of recovery pathways, including for people living with, or recovering from, cancer. Rather than focusing on the illness, this approach recognises what helps people heal and stay well: gentle activity, time outdoors, purpose and human connection.
Community gardening offers exactly that. It is slow, seasonal and rooted in care. It allows people to contribute in ways that feel manageable, while also being part of something shared and meaningful.
GLAS community garden
The GLAS Community Garden in Ballymun already reflects many of these values in practice. It is a space designed for inclusion, biodiversity, learning and local participation, where people can come together to grow food, support wildlife and support each other.
For GAP Ireland, taking part in SPACE gives us an opportunity to deepen this work: to better understand how community gardens can support wellbeing when they are connected more intentionally with health and social care systems.
Spaces like community gardens remind us that wellbeing can be something we grow together through relationships, shared purpose and time spent in nature.
The SPACE project is one attempt to bring that understanding more closely into how we support people in recovery. Not by replacing medical care, but by complementing it with something equally essential: community.
We know that spending time in nature, connecting with others and contributing to something meaningful can make a real difference to wellbeing.
If you are interested in exploring community gardening as part of your recovery journey, or simply want to learn more about the project, the SPACE team would be delighted to hear from you.
You can find out more and register your interest through the SPACE project at Volunteer Ireland’s SPACE project page
Read more:
- GAP Ireland’s GLAS community gardens
- Reflections on mental health, nature and wellbeing
- GAP briefing paper on mental health and access to nature
- Exploring Health Impact Assessments in Ireland