Thrive at UoB

Thrive is the gardening for health charity. We use gardening to bring about positive changes in the lives of people living with disabilities or ill health, or who are isolated, disadvantaged or vulnerable.

Thrive has been delivering Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH) programmes for over 40 years, with centres in Birmingham, Reading and London. We are dedicated and passionate about the health benefits that gardening, horticulture and spending time in nature can bring. Our aim is to ensure that people with varying needs have the opportunity to access therapeutic gardening and horticulture programmes, wherever they live.

We actively encourage the use of gardening as part of personal health and wellbeing management.

This programme is ideal for students who may be feeling socially isolated or experiencing low-level mental health challenges. It’s especially helpful for those who are finding it hard to engage with their course, are neurodivergent, or have gone through a significant life event and would benefit from some additional support.

We’ve found the programme to be particularly effective for students who haven’t connected with traditional counselling or clinical services. It can also complement more conventional mental health support, offering a gentle and accessible way to build social connections, take part in meaningful activities, and spend time in nature.

We are able to support students who:

• Are autistic, have ADHD or another neurodivergent condition
• Need adjustments because of physical health conditions or long-term health conditions e.g. causing fatigue or concentration issues
• Have some mental health difficulties
• Are lonely or feeling isolated

There are various types of gardening activity which can help improve mental health and wellbeing – from self-directed gardening which can help anyone improve their mental wellbeing, to horticultural therapy delivered by mental health professionals within an inpatient unit.

Unfortunately, we cannot support students who have more complex mental health conditions or are in crisis. 

To access Thrive's Grow Well programme, please fill out this form Thrive - Grow Well - Thrive Birmingham Enrolment Form