Initiative to help Health and Wellbeing

City of Sanctuary has developed a new stream – Gardens of Sanctuary – to support and inspire community growing spaces in the UK to become places of sanctuary for people forced to flee from persecution.

For the past year City of Sanctuary has partnered with Social Farms and Gardens and the Permaculture Association to research how community growing spaces could be encouraged to work with refugees and asylum seekers. Much of this research has been carried out by Norwich’s own Ben Margolis and has been developed from his experience of setting up and running The Grange in West Norfolk for 7 years. 

They found that for many people arriving to seek asylum in the UK, community growing spaces can offer vital opportunities for community, improving mental and physical health and to learn and share skills.

You can learn more about how to become a Garden of Sanctuary here.
A resource pack has been designed to encourage and support community growing groups to welcome people seeking sanctuary. A collection of case studies have been documented to share ideas and to encourage more growing spaces to become gardens of sanctuary.