Start in Salford

Building confidence and inclusivity

Members of a creative arts and wellbeing centre in Salford are enjoying a new dimension to their horticultural learning activities thanks to the organisation’s SOLARDOME® Retreat.

Start in Salford wanted a large greenhouse to nurture the talents and boost the confidence of those who feel isolated or excluded due to a range of personal difficulties.

Key requirements for the new growing facility included wheelchair access and enough space to both grow crops whilst accommodating a moderate sized group of participants – two attributes for which our sophisticated glasshouses are highly recognised.

About Start in Salford

Start in Salford’s mission is to promote emotional wellbeing and recovery by providing creative arts based activities and training opportunities for people who are, or maybe at risk of, experiencing mental health difficulties or social exclusion.

The registered charity uses professional tutors to bring out the best in members so they can grow in confidence, build self-esteem and become valued contributors to the wider community.

The SOLARDOME® Retreat is central, not only to their beautifully landscaped garden, but also to their ‘Start Growing’ horticultural therapy programme.

In their own words

Youth Arts, Horticulture and Inclusion Coordinator, Francine Hayfron said:

“The dome was an excellent choice and serves our purposes well. We use it for our Horticulture sessions where it functions as an outdoor classroom and greenhouse.

“We run sessions from our Brunswick House site twice a week throughout the year and within the dome our members learn, among other things, how to sow and propagate plants under cover and how to maintain a greenhouse.

“It is where we teach our members the basic horticultural skills, as well as give them the opportunity to grow and sell their crops. They can also gain formal horticultural qualifications.”

If you are involved in a community project similar to Start in Salford and would like to discover more about what we can deliver for you and your members, simply call us today for a free brochure.

At a glance

Related Case Study

Belmont School

Belmont School in Gloucester, whose pupils experience a variety of moderate learning difficulties, purchased a SOLARDOME Retreat in 2011, primarily to teach horticulture as accredited study.
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