Home and garden retailer Robert Dyas is reintroducing its Plant & Pause campaign, after a hugely successful launch last year. This initiative focuses on the benefits of utilising your outdoor space to promote good mental health and wellbeing, kicking off during Stress Awareness Month and running until August.
For the second year running, Robert Dyas has teamed up with the gardening-for-health charity, Thrive. With over 40 years of experience, using gardening alongside Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH), to help improve people’s physical and psychological health, they’re a great fit for the project.
Thrive’s CEO Ben Thomas said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with Robert Dyas. We know that being out in the fresh air, surrounded by plants and nature is incredibly beneficial for mental and physical health. Evidence suggests just twenty minutes spent in gardens or the countryside can significantly reduce stress hormone levels. That’s why this campaign is so important, and we are proud to be associated with it.”
In 2021, the RHS released research that revealed those who garden every day have wellbeing scores 6.6% higher* and stress levels 4.2% lower than people who don’t garden at all. Surveying more than 6000 people, the research showed a significant association between gardening more frequently and improvements in wellbeing, perceived stress and physical activity.
New this year, Robert Dyas is kicking off Plant & Pause with a nationwide competition, Nominate Your Community Space. They are encouraging people to nominate a green community space in their local area which has the potential to be transformed for the mental and physical health of their community. A prize of £2.5k worth of gardening equipment will go to the winner. The Robert Dyas team will visit the project as it evolves to highlight the progress across social media and to share it on the Robert Dyas website.
Whether it’s a community garden or space, or a charity looking to create a sensory garden, entrants are invited to send their nominations to nominateyourspace@robertdyas.co.uk. Shortlisted entries will be assessed by the retailer’s esteemed panel of judges: Robert Dyas’s Garden Guru Rich Redman; Chairman and owner of Robert Dyas, Theo Paphitis; Thrive’s Training, Education & Consultancy Manager, Damien Newman; The Sun’s gardening columnist Veronica Lorraine; and multi-RHS-award-winning influencer the Cloud Gardener, who will be supporting Robert Dyas for a second year with his tips on gardening for mental health.
As one of the UK’s leading home and garden retailers for over 150 years, the team at Robert Dyas advocates gardening for physical and mental health, and encourages the nation to use their outdoor space and reap the benefits. Robert Dyas’s Garden Guru, Rich Redman, says: “Even the simplest of garden tasks can lift your spirits and just taking a moment to pause, check in with how you’re feeling and connect with nature is so good for the soul. It also doesn’t matter what size space you have – gardening is accessible to everyone of all ages, backgrounds and abilities!”
“We’re very excited to team up with the gardening for health charity, Thrive, as this allows us to tap into their professional advice and expertise and to draw attention to their great work on our social media channels, on our website and in stores. ”
Thrive delivers community programmes, outreach programmes to schools, hospitals and care homes, and more than 600 garden projects up and down the country. They also offer comprehensive training courses for members of the public to earn horticultural qualifications, as well as engage in horticultural research.
Robert Dyas will be encouraging their followers and members of the public to join in and share their Plant & Pause moments using the hashtag, #PlantandPause.
With warm weather here at last there’s no better time to get involved with this wonderful wellness initiative. So follow along online with tips and guidance from two gardening experts, Robert Dyas and Thrive, and #PlantandPause for body and mind.
