GARDENS
Growing together
As Britain in Bloom celebrates 60 years of uniting communities, we discover how green-fingered therapy is transforming neighbourhoods across the country
by LUCY HALL
Standing in front of a camera in a rain shower, talking gardening, remembering your lines and encouraging viewers isn’t an easy task. Particularly when you’re naturally shy. But for Bob Russell, horticultural lead at Blooming Inverkip, creating video tutorials is part of the new life he’s built since being diagnosed with chronic epilepsy.
‘I had a lot of difficulty with my health and was in a bad space, mentally,’ he shares. ‘I was off work, feeling sorry for myself, until I got out in the garden and got the gardening bug. It was literally a lifesaver for me.’
Finding a new joy in life through gardening, Bob took the plunge back into education and studied for a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) qualification in horticulture. This gave him the confidence to lead his local community gardening group, in one of Scotland’s most socially deprived areas, where he could not only share his love of growing but also develop skills in teaching, fundraising – and video. His group formed only five years ago but has already made an award-winning garden for key workers.