The Secret Garden

A secret garden designed to be shared, Lisa de Silva discovers Grove Garden in Haywards Heath and learns how it connects local community and fosters wellbeing 

Grove Garden is set within a beautiful walled plot within Clair Park, offering recreational, wellbeing, leisure, arts and craft activities for the local over-50s community. 

As a charity and community resource, all activities are just £2 and it has recently gained the status of a ‘social prescription hub,’ with local healthcare professionals able to refer patients to enjoy the benefits it offers. 

“The garden is a wonderful way to improve wellbeing, particularly for those who might feel lonely and isolated. By getting involved as a volunteer or coming along to a class or activity, people feel part of the community. They make new friends and enjoy a renewed sense of purpose,” explained Chair and Trustee, Nigel Allyson-Ryan. 

The garden was bequeathed to Haywards Heath by Joyce Grove,a drama and elocution teacher, who was the Head Teacher and Founder of St Clair’s School. The school originally stood on the site of Clair Hall and included the actress Greta Scacchi among its alumni. Greta is now the patron of Grove Garden and credits Joyce with much of her success, fondly remembering her as, “a great and very patient teacher.”

Joyce left the garden to the community, to be enjoyed by those in their later years, with little access to outside space. It initially opened in 1995 but quickly became overgrown and inaccessible. However, in recent years a new team of energetic and visionary trustees and volunteers have worked hard to transform the plot into a wonderful garden and community resource. 

Their hard work means that today, Grove Garden is a vibrant, safe and stimulating community garden and meeting space for the over 50s. No longer restricted to those without access to a garden of their own, everyone receives the warmest of welcomes and people are encouraged to drop in for a chat, along with enjoying a range of enriching activities and events. 

Visitors can volunteer to help with the gardening, although no previous experience is necessary, make new friends with a chat over a coffee or boardgame, join a Tai Chi class, try laughter yoga, enjoy an arts and craft-based workshop, learn how to make kombucha and sitin on the popular Saturday morning Nature Watch. 

Future projects are planned with Wakehurst, and the garden is also available for use by local charities and organisations. To date, these have included Mid-Sussex charity, Kangaroos who enjoyeda craft session and the local U3A, who took the opportunity to brush up their gardening knowledge and skills. 

“The garden changes lives,” confided part-time Manager, Deb Ryan-Taylor. “It’s been a godsend for those on their own. People have made new friends, improved their health and wellbeing and have benefitted from a new lease of life. What’s more, there’s only a small£2 charge for any of our activities and events, although people are free to donate for tea and coffee if they can.” 

Everything in Grove Garden has been generously donated by local companies and organisations and there is an emphasis on recycling. The garden also uses solar power and lighting and has a compost toilet. The next stage in the garden’s development is to develop an indoor space within the garden, so people can meet up whatever the weather. 

“We’ve considered various ways to fund this project,” Nigel told me. “Eventually deciding on a crowdfunding campaign which we are launching with the formal opening of the garden on Sunday 4th May.” If you are over 50 and interested in improving your wellbeing and making new friends, do drop in and say hello. 

Other ways to get involved in this wonderful community project include donating plants, unwanted garden equipment (Grove Garden is currently on the hunt for a lawnmower) or contributing to the crowdfunder to build an indoor hub. You would also be very welcome to come along and share your skills with a workshop or a talk which may be of interest to others. 

www.grovegarden.uk