‘The smallest garden centre with the biggest heart’ has just signed a new 15 year lease with BANES Council. This comes after they celebrated their 5 year anniversary earlier this year. The Urban Garden is not just any garden centre but a social enterprise working closely with the local community in Bath. All profits are reinvested back into the training of local adults who are unemployed and/or struggling with their mental health. These invaluable courses help to improve their mental health and wellbeing as well as help many back into work. Over the past 5 years, over 80 trainees have taken part in the free courses and programmes.
The Urban Garden was the brainchild of Matt Smail and the mission statement is to ‘take the power of plants and use it to help people grow.’ Matt has created a collaborative partnership with the BANES Council, with the garden centre based at the lower end of their council nursery site. The council also supply some of the plants that are for sale. The new 15 year lease demonstrates the success of the venture in a short amount of time.
The Urban Garden is a community focussed enterprise, with over 200 local people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities volunteering since it opened. It is abundantly clear how much The Urban Garden is loved by visitors and volunteers alike.
When asked what the new lease means for The Urban Garden and local people, Director Matt Smail said, “I feel so happy and proud to be signing this new 15 year lease with the council. This puts The Urban Garden firmly on the map and ensures that we are able to improve and expand our services for years to come”.