Joshua’s story

‘I was in a lot of distress. I was hearing voices. I was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. I saw the garden. I wanted to pray here. I’ve been volunteering ever since. 

‘I’ve got a deep faith in God now and I feel like gardening is spiritual. I like being in nature. It gets me away from the traffic and the roads and people and betting shops and all of that.

‘It’s helping with the anxiety and the voices. Having the voices isolates me. I can stay in the house all the day, especially because I don’t have a job. So, this helps me to give back to the community. It helps me to feel fulfilled. It feels like how life should be with people that love you and want to see how you are.’