Each person’s chance

EASTERN Access Community Health has been thriving in the nursery industry, taking on the Super Soil franchise in Healesville.
EACH delivers community health, disability and support services in the eastern region, including and training and employment service for people who would otherwise struggle to access work opportunities.
The nursery project is an entrepreneurial leap into manufacturing opportunities for people with a range of physical and mental health challenges.
EACH prides itself on being a little courageous when it comes to addressing community needs.
A small band of people is currently working on a voluntary basis at the nursery, learning the trade, literally from the ground up.
Liz Wrigley, social enterprises co-ordinator, said their volunteers work on a range of skills from potting up to retail.
Beyond Blue recently released a paper on the benefit of contact with nature for mental health and wellbeing.
“The take-home message is that there is a significant relationship between mental health and greenness,” was the first sentence of the paper’s conclusions.
Community gardening, something not dissimilar to the EACH Nursery project, was identified as a having a wide range of benefits in areas including cardiovascular health, depression and anxiety.
Ms Wrigley said while operating as a commercial nursery, it was always changing to provide options for EACH clients.
“We are planning to incorporate a no-dig garden for older people and others with particular types of disability, and would like to have small groups take ownership of particular areas, such as the fernery,” she said.
“One of the important things in any recovery and belonging to a community is having a sense of ownership.”
She said developing confidence to go into the workforce, or back to school, was also a big part of the training.
“We want the community to know we are here, that there is a lot happening in the area of mental health and that gardening is a wonderful mental health activity,” she said.
EACH Super Soil Nursery and Garden Centre is at 82 Maroondah Highway, Healesville.