Our first 20th anniversary fundraiser Alice has been a volunteer at Growing Well Tebay since October 2023. She’s happy to share her struggles with mental illness, the impact it has had on her life and what it is that helps her as "being open and honest about mental ill health is important in removing the stigma and helping others get the support they need."

Since coming here she has found that her Growing Well day gives her an invaluable sense of purpose, "I love the sense of community and belonging, working alongside other people who I know are having similar struggles really helps. I leave at the end of every day proud of what I have achieved and what we have achieved as a group. I want to fundraise for Growing Well because they have supported me, seen potential in me that I couldn’t and help me every week to set and achieve goals. Raising money for them is a way of thanking them for their incredible concept."

It was a sponsored swim for another charity three years ago that inspired Alice to do the same this year for Growing Well’s 20th birthday. ‘I swam for a charity that supported mums with mental health problems and found that through publicising my swim I was also reaching people who either needed support themselves or knew someone else who did. I hope I can do the same for Growing Well this year and get the word out about just how beneficial it is and how their hands on and personal approach really does work.’ Alice photographs each of her days on site and shares them with friends and family on her social media, both to show them what she’s been doing and to bring Growing Well’s activities to life. ‘It’s only by being here that you really understand how amazing it is.’

Alice has been a keen lake swimmer for the last 10 years and finds it very beneficial for her mental health, so a swim seemed like the perfect challenge for her to set herself and use as a mechanism to raise funds and awareness for us, but she’s not stopping there. To celebrate 20 years of Growing Well, Alice is also going to walk 20 miles. As someone who suffers from hypermobility and the physical difficulties it brings, she has decided to challenge herself with walking this distance throughout June in a series of shorter stages and now her children are joining her too. She said "It’s been great for them to understand why mummy goes to Growing Well, where and what it is. Now they’re getting involved too and really enjoying it."

To sponsor Alice and help her raise vital funds for us you can go to her Just Giving page here:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/alice-pattinson-1705432536727

Sinead McCann is the Manager at Growing Well Kendal, where she works full-time overseeing the day to day running of the site, supporting staff and volunteers who grow all the amazing produce that comes from the largest organic vegetable farm in Cumbria.

When she turned 50, Sinead did a Half Ironman in New Zealand, with another big birthday looming in November, she is going to undertake her own swim – bike – run challenge to raise funds for Growing Well.

Sinead’s Great North Triathlon (GNT) will involve swimming across the 5 largest bodies of water in the Lake District, cycling coast to coast and then completing the Great North Run on consecutive weekends this summer (in August & September).

Sinead says “Doing my own Great North Triathlon will be tough – it’s a while since I’ve done anything so physically challenging. I’m looking forward to doing the swim and bike ride with friends and have always wanted to take part in the Great North Run. Raising money for Growing Well will hopefully give me the motivation I’ll need to get to the finish line – wish me luck!”
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Click on the LINK BELOW to support Sinead's challenge and support Growing Well 20 For 20.

Growing Singing CIC aims to encourage and enable a growing number of people from around Kendal and the South Lakes to find their voices and enjoy the benefits of a blooming good sing. It’s a not-for-profit business run by Clare Elleray and Rachael Wadey, who are both evangelical about how good it is for people to sing together.

The Growing Singers is a 60-strong fundraising community choir. Founded in January 2023, it donates a percentage of fees and all the money collected from performances and community events to Growing Well. During its first year Growing Singers donated over £1500 towards the costs of running Growing Well.

As well as being enthusiastic about the benefits of singing, Clare and Rachael both see the benefits that Growing Well brings to it’s volunteers.

“My first job in Kendal was at Growing Well” says Clare “and over 7 years there I often used to say that I’d hit the job jackpot, so much did I love the work and being there. When I moved back into choir leading it felt really good to continue the connection with such a worthwhile local charity”.

Rachael wholeheartedly agrees: “We are both well aware of the mental health and other benefits of singing with others in a group and we love supporting Growing Well in this way with the choir. We’re also enjoying exploring other connections that Growing Well and Growing Singing may develop over the years”.

A key event of Growing Well’s 20th birthday celebrations this year is a sponsored walk on Saturday 15th June between two of our sites - Tebay Services and Low Sizergh near Kendal.

The route totals just under 20-miles and has been planned by two of our Tebay minibus drivers, Jon Tombs and Joe Faulkner, both passionate and experienced outdoor instructors.

“It is an obvious statement that exercise is good for us - physically, emotionally, and mentally.” says Jon, who has had a lengthy career working with young people in outdoor activities.

“Working outdoors every day I see for myself how spending time in nature is great for everyone’s wellbeing. Whether it’s walking or more vigorous exercise, it gives us a powerful and very welcome dose of mental goodness.”

“I’m really looking forward to being involved in the anniversary walk for Growing Well. We’re all hoping it will encourage and inspire people to get out and exercise in Cumbria’s beautiful countryside, whilst raising vital funds for the charity.”

Westmorland Family have been proud supporters of Growing Well since they started buying vegetables from us for the catering side of their businesses – Tebay Services, Rheged and Westmorland Hotel - some years ago.

In 2022 Growing Well and Westmorland embarked a major new project to open a second Growing Well site at Tebay, situated on an old caravan park adjacent to their M6 northbound services.

Growing Well at Tebay Services opened in the spring of 2023 thanks to significant funding and in-kind support from The Westmorland Family. In the following year this site has supported hundreds of volunteers in Eden and North Cumbria on their journey towards mental health recovery.

Westmorland Family Chair Sarah Dunning: “We are delighted to be to working in partnership with Growing Well on a project that will help to address one of the great needs in our community, which is mental health.”

For Growing Well’s 20th year, Westmorland have set themselves the target of raising £20,000 for our charity through a combination of fundraising events and activities at Tebay Services, Rheged, and the Westmorland Hotel.

Follow us to find out what they get up to and how they progress!

Gina Pennington is one half of the dynamic duo who own Penningtons Tea and coffee, Growing Well is their chosen charity for 2024.

On Sunday 14th April, Gina will be running her 10th marathon raising funds for the Growing Well’s 20-year appeal.

Both Dave and Gina have had their mental health challenges over the years and Growing Well as a local mental health charity really resonated with them. As well as running a marathon for Growing Well, Pennington's have created a special fundraising coffee, on sale in local shops and on their website, from which 10% of sales will go into the funds.
https://penningtonscoffee.co.uk/collections/coffee/products/growing-well-coffee

“I have always found solace and peace in swimming and being outside. Being immersed in a lake has a special way of making you feel part of the landscape and not just a bystander – which I find incredibly calming and restorative.”

She sees participating in the Great North Swim as a milestone in her recovery from a mental health crisis in summer 2023.

“The decision to try and swim a significant distance in Windermere will require commitment, mental and physical strength and a lot of training. I think that confidence and self-belief are also key”.

These are two things that Alison is working on at Growing Well Kendal, where she started volunteering in November 2023.

“At a time when I felt very low, I was referred to Growing Well, knowing that being engaged and busy as well as being outdoors was what I needed. To be accepted and encouraged to participate in physical tasks that are mentally absorbing, working at your own pace whilst being surrounded by people who understand without question has been entirely refreshing.”

As a sign of her appreciation of Growing Well and how being there is supporting her recovery, Alison wants to raise money by asking people to sponsor her Great North Swim.

She says “I hope that doing the swim will help raise the profile of a local and pioneering charity that I am lucky to be involved with. At the same time, spreading awareness of the very real need for us all to talk about mental ill-health is important to me and hopefully enable other people to experience healing the Growing Well way.”

More 20 for 20 information coming soon!

More 20 for 20 information coming soon!

More 20 for 20 information coming soon!

More 20 for 20 information coming soon!

More 20 for 20 information coming soon!

More 20 for 20 information coming soon!

More 20 for 20 information coming soon!

More 20 for 20 information coming soon!

More 20 for 20 information coming soon!

More 20 for 20 information coming soon!

More 20 for 20 information coming soon!

More 20 for 20 information coming soon!

More 20 for 20 information coming soon!