Growing positive conversations about mental health

Today is the first day of Bloom 2018!

Bloom is in its 11^th year, and this year See Change are delighted to have a postcard garden featured thanks to the green fingers of our partner, Shine – supporting people affected by mental ill health. 

The members of the Shine Basement Resource Centre in Cork have created a ‘Green Ribbon Garden’ in support of growing conversations about mental health.  It is hoped that the garden will start positive conversations about mental health throughout this June bank holiday weekend, as floods of people from Ireland and abroad soak in the atmosphere.

Message in a Bottle

See Change will be asking the public to contribute their messages of hope and recovery to their ‘Message in a Bottle’. The messages will be shared on social media in hopes of growing the conversation about mental health online, beyond Bloom itself.

The garden is based on a community garden designed by a group of members of the Shine Basement Resource Centre. The group took ownership of an urban space and turned a once unused site on Kyle Street in Cork into a beautiful green space which is enjoyed by the whole community.

The garden has hosted many community-based events including barbecues and events in the Cork Food Harvest Festival.

The garden group is always open to members, and people are always welcome.

Working in partnership with members is a key aspect of the recovery, placing the individual at the centre of their own recovery journey.