University Centre South Devon (UCSD) has now finished creating their new Therapy Garden and is now open for use. This development responds directly to the national push for greater support and awareness of caring for mental health. The Therapy Garden had its official opening on 5th June 2019 and will from that day offer UCSD students a quiet and private space to use at times when they feel the need to surround themselves in a tranquil and peaceful, natural environment.

Located at the main UCSD campus, the garden will consist of relaxing scented plants such as lavender and chamomile, a pond with running water, and a summerhouse for use during the winter months. The garden has been designed to be inclusive and accessible for all UCSD students.

Across the UK, there are calls for greater mental health awareness with an increasing number of students and young people suffering from conditions such as depression and anxiety.

This wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of the staff and students that poured a lot of time and effort into planning and constructing this facility. Catherine Smith, lecturer Big thanks are also deserved for the sponsors who helped make the Therapy Garden a reality; Sutton Seeds, B&Q, Linden Homes, University of Plymouth and Plymouth Mind.

Emma Colin, Sales and Marketing Director for Linden Homes, said: “We were delighted to donate ¬£500 towards the creation of the Therapy Garden at University Centre South Devon. It’s a fantastic facility, providing a bit of calm, for those when needed. It’s great to see initiatives like this taking place and more importance given to mental health and we were pleased to be involved.”

UCSD is committed to providing a learning environment to cater for all students and this development proves UCSD to be a pillar of strength for the student community to lean on when their mental health is the biggest obstacle in their education. For more information email¬†[email protected].