We dig gardening. Because spending time in green space or bringing nature into your everyday life can benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing.
Even if you don't have your own garden, there are lots of ways you can use plants, flowers or growing food to fundraise for Mind, to help you connect with nature and make sure everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets support and respect.
Below are some of our favourite garden-themed fundraising ideas.
Ideas if you don't have a garden
- Virtual plant tour - do you have an impressive plant collection in your flat? Live stream a tour on social media and ask your followers to donate to Mind.
- Flower arranging class - are you a florist in the making? Share your skills with friends and family in return for a donation to Mind.
- Grow vegetables in a window box - sell your homegrown goods and donate the sales.
- Go plant-based for a month - challenge yourself to eat foods with no animal products and ask for sponsorship. Make sure to follow a guide to a balanced, plant-based diet.
- Make origami flowers - to decorate cards or notebooks to sell and donate some of the profits to Mind. Please use recyclable materials where you can.
Ideas if you do have a garden
- Sunflower growing sweepstake - challenge your friends, colleagues or classmates to grow the tallest flower. Award the winner half the entry takings and donate the rest.
- Garden glow-up - if your garden's in need of some care, ask people to sponsor you to give it a makeover and keep it looking healthy. Update your sponsors with photos of your progress.
- Mow for Mind - mow your neighbours' lawns or trim their hedges for a donation.
- Memory garden - are you fundraising in memory of a loved one? Dedicate a space in your garden to them and ask guests for a donation when they come to visit.
- Hold a garden party - invite family and friends around for afternoon tea or a BBQ in your garden and ask for a donation to attend. You could also hold a raffle, sell your homegrown jam and have a scavenger hunt for the children.
Gardening sustainably
Sustainability is really important to us at Mind. Growing your own food is an amazing way to do your bit for the planet, but here are some other ways to garden sustainably:
- Use peat free compost.
- Collect rain water to water your plants.
- Use recycled materials, for example old yoghurt pots for growing seeds in, or materials on their way to landfill to make raised beds or plant supports.
- If you have the space, try making your own compost.
- Avoid using pesticides and insecticides and choose bee-friendly methods of protecting your plants.
Why do I need to register?
Once you've registered your event with us, we'll support you from start to finish.
Registering with us means you'll get:
- A support pack, full of useful fundraising advice and information about Mind.
- Sponsorship forms.
- A Mind T-shirt.
- Advice if needed.
- Any fundraising materials you need.
- Support from our dedicated and experienced team.
Got a question? Check out our FAQs.
You can also email us or give us a call on 0300 999 3887 and we'll be more than happy to help.
Register now
Mind at the Chelsea Flower Show 2022
This year, we'll be featuring a garden at the Royal Horticulture Society's Chelsea Flower Show 24 - 28 May 2022. Learn more about our garden and how connecting with each other, especially in nature, can help our mental health.
A flower to soothe the soul
From a single rose gifted to her years ago, Michelle’s garden has bloomed into her sanctuary. Over the years Michelle has tried a number of ways to manage her mental health, from medicine to counselling but her garden has helped her like nothing else.
Nature and mental health
Spending time in nature has been found to help with mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Doing things like growing food or flowers, exercising outdoors or being around animals can have lots of positive effects. Learn more about how nature benefits mental health.
