At a community garden in Southend, Catherine, Princess of Wales met people whose recovery is being supported through time outdoors, shared work and connection.
The Princess of Wales visited a community garden in Southend-on-Sea on Thursday, meeting people in recovery during Britain’s Addiction Awareness Week. The garden is part of Forward Growing, a partnership between The Forward Trust and Garon Park that gives participants a place to garden, walk and spend time together outdoors. Catherine, the charity’s royal patron, toured the space and spoke with those involved. She called the planting area a “fantastic space.”
Forward Growing began in May as an extension of the charity’s Southend Treatment and Recovery Service, known as STARS. Its gardening sessions are intended to help people build confidence and practical skills, while a separate walk-and-talk group offers another way to connect. The charity describes the garden as a lasting place for recovery and community involvement. It is one part of a wider service that also offers counseling, peer support and treatment tailored to the person seeking help.
A conversation beyond the garden
Catherine’s visit came as The Forward Trust asks people across the UK to speak more openly about addiction. Its Big Addiction Conversation, launched for Addiction Awareness Week from September 19 to 25, aims to prompt 17,000 conversations over the coming year. The number reflects the charity’s estimate of annual premature deaths from drug- and alcohol-related causes in the UK. The campaign aims to make it easier for people to talk without fear of judgment and to seek support when they need it.
That purpose gives Thursday’s visit a meaning beyond the photographs. Catherine’s presence draws attention to the work, but the garden belongs to the people who return to it, tend it and find company there. Recovery takes many forms and usually requires more than one kind of support. In Southend, The Forward Trust has made room for both professional care and the ordinary, sustaining experience of being alongside other people.
Sources
The Forward Trust: Forward Growing
