This is a charity designed to encourage and facilitate communication between people working in the fields of social and therapeutic horticulture. As members, we use horticulture as a means of improving skills, health and quality of life. We develop training, education and rehabilitation programme and work in day centres, special schools, hospitals, sheltered workshops and in the community. We work with people with special needs to design and manage environments they can live in with the aim of helping them to make the most of their abilities, to build confidence and increase their well-being. People have a natural affinity for gardens and gardening as food, medicines, relaxation and our very livelihood are often derived from plants.
Some people reap benefits from working the soil, battling the weeds and watching plants grow.
Others prefer to let others do the hard work, finding pleasure in simply being in a garden. Both the active and passive ways of enjoying horticulture are promoted by Federation members. Other members work professionally in horticultural therapy, in settings where clear treatment goals can be furthered by working with plants. In short, we aim to identify, research and promote the benefits of contact with plants to people's lives and to build links between people with common interests. Members' rates apply.