Chelsea Physic Garden

Opening up a historic green space to Londoners

Sitting on the Thames Embankment, and sheltered by high walls, Chelsea Physic Garden is one of the oldest and most respected botanic gardens in Europe. Founded in 1963 for the study of medicinal plants, today it still offers a unique plant collection focused on medicinal, herbal and useful plants. The garden is open for visitors, educational events and horticultural skills training.

Our grant of £12,070 will support the Chelsea Physic Garden to reach out to its surrounding communities, funding partnerships with two local organisations: the Chelsea Academy school and Kanlungan, a member’s organisation working for the welfare of Filipino and other migrant communities.

  • Chelsea Physic Garden has been connecting people to the power of plants since 1673, becoming an educational charity in 1983.
  • The Kanlungan project will run 4 half-day workshops for 12 Kanlungan members on topics including medicinal and herbal plants and growing food, as well as offering free garden tours to 30 Kanlungan members,
  • Chelsea Physic Garden expects to see mental and physical health and wellbeing benefits for all 1,100 Academy students

A rooftop garden for the Chelsea Academy school

Chelsea Academy students and teachers will work with Chelsea Physic Garden’s Learning and Engagement Team to design and build a rooftop garden for their school. They’ll also make the student entrance greener by adding planters and trellises.

Throughout the project students will learn about plants, how they grow, and how to care for them. Through working together to build their own green space, the project will bring a sense of ownership, as well as mental and physical health and wellbeing benefits for all students.

Kanlungan: Wellbeing project for healthcare workers

Through their partnership with the Chelsea Physic Garden, Kanlungan members will have opportunities to connect with the natural world. They’ll benefit from workshops on medicinal and herbal plants, growing food and more. Garden tours will be tailored to Kanlungan members, who’ll also get free access to the Garden and free places on other events.

As a result of the Kanlungan project, Chelsea Physic Garden expects participants to see a range of health and wellbeing benefits. This is particularly important for members of the community who work for the NHS or as carers and have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

“We want to ensure that everyone has access to green space and understands the importance of plants for all life. Through this project with the Chelsea Academy, we can help educate our local community and positively impact their wellbeing through connecting with nature at school. We are also delighted to partner with Kanlungan, who represent people from communities who live close to the Garden. We can help people to feel improved wellbeing by connecting with nature and support community cohesion and belonging through our 5000 plants from all over the world house at the Garden.”
Katy Parry, Head of Learning and Public Engagement, Chelsea Physic Garden

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