29th July 2015
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
The members of Shine’s Basement Resource Centre in cooperation with Cork City Council are to launch an exciting new mental-health themed pop-up garden at a previously disused lot on Cork’s Kyle Street. The garden project aims to encourage people to make the time and space for their mental health and promote the message of the Green Ribbon campaign to get Cork talking about mental health.
The Basement Resource Centre, Shine, is a community mental health resource centre situated on Washington Street in Cork City. Through its weekly members meetings and annual evaluations, community members have regularly requested gardening space, but being situated in inner city Cork however, there is little gardening space and opportunity. Over the years community members have attempted to meet their gardening needs by growing plants in window boxes and hanging baskets, and travelling to gardening projects such as those at the Cork Foyer and Bessborough Centre.
The idea behind this garden project is to create a temporary display garden in the historic heart of Cork City, and it will be created by the Basement Resource Centre community in partnership with groups from the wider community. The garden’s theme will be that of the mental health stigma reducing Green Ribbon Campaign: Changing minds about mental health, one conversation at a time, and will incorporate horticulture, art, craft, creative writing and woodwork elements. The Basement hope that when the Green Ribbon Garden is complete it will benefit all who see it. It will provide the community with opportunities to foster a sense of wellness, reduce mental health stigma by raising public awareness and promoting discussion, and create a lovely atmosphere for locals and the public to enjoy as they pass by.
Sorcha Lowry of See Change’s Green Ribbon campaign said “We are delighted to see the exciting Green Ribbon garden take shape in Cork and look forward to seeing how the creation of the space sparks increased discussion about mental health.”
If you or your organisation would like to support the development of this garden in any way or would like more information, contact Green Ribbon Garden project facilitator Bruno Nicolai at the Basement Resource Centre by telephone on 021 422 6064 or by email at basement@shineoneline.ie
