Green Health was set up by a small group of people in Reading, including a Whitley-based GP who recognised that prescribing medication alone was not the solution for many people with mental health difficulties. He was frustrated at the lack of services for his patients and the project evolved from the understanding that recovery from mental illness is a complex process requiring local, community-based support and qualified, committed people to accompany those affected on the journey and to reduce social isolation.
Green Health's charitable objects are:
-To relieve sickness and protect mental health through the provision of therapeutic horticulture to those with, or vulnerable to, mental health problems.
-To protect physical health through encouraging horticulture-related physical activity and by promoting healthy eating to individuals and organisations.
Green Health currently has a community garden in Whitley – one of Reading’s, and the UK’s, most deprived communities.
