My awesome project is Rootless Garden, a social enterprise that provides engaging activities and social opportunities for older people in London. We create projects inspired by nature that tackle loneliness and increase wellbeing. Our projects provide opportunities for the elderly to learn, create, explore and transform using the power of nature.

We are unique because we engage older people in the creation of our bespoke projects. This is empowering for our beneficiaries, who often acknowledge a lack of purpose as decisions are more regularly made for and not by them. In this essence we are very progressive, we fight loneliness and improve wellbeing not just through the service we deliver, but in the way we encourage our beneficiaries to participate.

We love volunteers! We strive to encourage a deeper understanding of ageing and the lives of older people in society. We do this is by encouraging intergenerational communication through volunteering. This is a great way of mixing up our projects and giving the opportunity for older and younger people to connect over a fun project, which all start with a herbal tea blending class! Having a range of community lead projects is our ultimate goal. We want to expand our impact by harnessing the great energy in London and use it to fulfil our dream; having volunteer led chapters of Rootless Garden.

There is a whole host of evidence that highlights the importance of nature in our lives; it has social and therapeutic effects. A relationship with nature can improve cognition, create sensory experiences, and can have restorative effects. Additionally, socialising improves happiness and creates a sense of belonging. This is proven to positively impact mental and physical health. We believe that our work is very radical; fitting with a wider social shift towards holistic lifestyles and complementary therapy in elderly and wider health care.