The Impact of Growing Together

The Growing Together Project in numbers

For the year 2021 to 22, Trust Links supported 4008 people with 2873 actively engaged across all projects. Below you can see a breakdown of how many members engaged with the Growing Together project, how many sessions were run, and the resulting outcomes.

“Oh it’s a big difference going into a Doctor’s office or a group in a building. You’re sort of on the back foot from day one, whereas if you’re coming down here doing a bit of gardening and you happen to start discussing stuff, it’s different, and that is the difference.”

Growing Together Westcliff member

Growing Together Evaluations

Researchers from University of Essex worked with Trust Links during 2021 and 2022 to evaluate the impact and outcomes of the Growing Together project. Using wellbeing data collected by the University team and Trust Links team, as well as focus groups facilitated by trained peer researchers, the Evaluation sought to identify the project’s impact on wellbeing, social isolation and life satisfaction. The research has been published in:

• International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

• MDPI Open Access Journals

The data demonstrated improvements in each of these area, with the researchers concluding that investment in projects such as Growing Together has the potential for significant savings in public sector services through prevention and early intervention. Members described how the informal garden environment was a positive therapeutic space, with social interaction and gardening tasks benefitting wellbeing.

“What’s important to me is Growing Together’s there, and you can always guarantee letting off steam, like come here, get your hands mucky.”