Who we are:

St Mary’s Secret Garden is an open access garden in Haggerston - Hackney that has been providing community access and horticultural therapy to people who are socially excluded or disadvantaged for over 25 years. 

What we do:

The garden provides a freely available open space and works with the local community in a range of ways offering different projects for example:

"Come Gardening! a natural wellbeing service for individuals with support needs."

• We work with local tenant resident associations to provide gardening support.

• We sell plants and produce that we have raised and nurtured.

• We organise workshops for schools and community groups.

Horticultural Therapy

We provide Horticultural Therapy for people with disabilities, those experiencing mental health issues and older residents with long term health needs

We use nature, our garden and gardening as a means to improve skills, wellbeing and create a sense of belonging.

Gardening in the community with a mix of different people creates opportunities to make good friends and feel a sense of achievement. Our holistic approach supports you with an allocated key worker and support from our lovely experienced volunteers.

Courses and training

We are a City and Guilds Approved Training Centre and provide quality training for people living in Hackney (and beyond) offering opportunities for them to gain accredited qualifications in skills for working life and horticulture.

We offer both accredited and non-accredited training courses to people in Hackney who are experiencing issues preventing them accessing paid work.

Both day and half day placements are available and currently take place on Wednesdays and Fridays. There is a charge for day and half day placements (see costs).

Volunteering

Volunteering opportunities are available for some local people recovering from health issues.