The Vyne is an impressive sixteenth-century National Trust property in Sherborne St John near Basingtoke in Berkshire. Managers at the house were hoping to get more disabled people volunteering to work at the property and because Thrive is located close to the estate we were delighted to help.
Thrive worked in partnership with The National Trust to develop a three-year volunteering work-experience programme. Thrive gardeners work in the Walled Garden, near the main house, and are turning part of the garden back to an area for fruit and vegetables. The produce is then used in The Vyne’s kitchens to cook delicious food for the tea room.
We plan to continue our work in the Walled Garden and our horticultural therapists are hoping to teach conservation skills in Morgaston Woods, an area of thirteenth-century woodland and part of The Vyne estate. Some of the Thrive gardeners working at The Vyne have moved into The National Trust volunteer scheme and are helping with the formal gardens around the house.