HOME ABOUT GROUNDWORK LATEST UPDATES RESOURCES APPLY FOR A GRANT CYMRAEG SEARCH PROJECTS PARTNER WITH US JOIN IN GROUNDWORK NEAR ME Tom'S Story After years of living with severe depression, Tom Cunningham is finally starting to feel better about himself and life in general. He puts it all down to volunteering at a local community garden. HOME About Us Stories Tom's Story In this section Our history Our strategy Our impact Federation structure and governance Research and reports Careers Across Groundwork Groundwork Stories Tom’s Story Dan’s Story Tamanna’s Story Our policy positions Contact us Project: Grow @thegrange Location: Blackpool After years of living with severe depression, Tom Cunningham is finally starting to feel better about himself and life in general. He puts it all down to volunteering at a local community garden. Tom, who is originally from Ireland, has lived in Blackpool for over 20 years. After a back injury affected his ability to work, Tom became long-term unemployed. Being out of work affected Tom’s self-esteem. At first he couldn’t afford to socialise. As his confidence ebbed away, he stopped wanting to go out and became increasingly isolated. I had no friends, I wouldn’t talk to anyone. The only people I ever talked to was to say hello to the shopkeeper. The turning point for Tom came when he heard about a community food growing network called Grow Blackpool, which is managed by Groundwork and funded by Blackpool Council Public Health. It runs regular sessions at community growing sites across Blackpool where people can come along and not only learn new skills and make new friends, but also improve their health and well-being. Although he’d had no previous interest in gardening, Tom liked the idea of meeting new people and learning some new skills, so he decided to give it a go. That was over a year ago. He now enjoys it so much that he takes a tram and a bus twice a week to make the three mile journey from his home to Grow Blackpool’s community garden the @thegrange community centre, whatever the weather. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. I just love that I’m volunteering. It’s like a job to me. They always ask me: when are you coming back? Because we need you. It’s positive to me, that I’m part of the team. Grow @thegrange @TheGrange is run by Groundwork on behalf of Blackpool Council and offers opportunities for local residents to learn new skills, meet new people and improve their health and wellbeing. The facilities include shops, a library, a cafe, a community farm, a theatre, meeting rooms available for hire and a gallery. It was officially launched with a Family Fun Day that included a bouncy castles, circus skills, dance and drumming workshops, a DJ and children’s entertainment. Grow Blackpool sessions are held regularly in the garden teaching people how to grow fresh food for themselves. Twitter Facebook Linkedin Youtube Select your region Cheshire and Merseyside East Midlands East of England Greater Manchester Lancashire and Cumbria London North East North Wales Northern Ireland Scotland South East of England South Wales South West of England West Midlands Yorkshire and the Humber UK Office GO PROJECTS PARTNER WITH US JOIN IN GROUNDWORK NEAR ME Careers Resources Apply for a grant Terms and conditions of use Privacy Accessibility Sitemap The Federation of Groundwork Trusts. Suite B2, The Walker Building, 58 Oxford Street, Birmingham, B5 5NR Tel: 0121 236 8565. Email info@groundwork.org.uk Copyright © 2021 Groundwork. All Rights Reserved. Registered charity in England and Wales (No. 291558) Company reg 1900511