Here at the far corner of Long Field, stop for a moment to appreciate the nature all around you. As well as the vines, look at the grasses at your feet, and the flowers and trees. Can you see the insects and spiders making their home here? Listen to the birds. You might hear on the breeze the song of a blackbird, robin or thrush, or the squawk of some of London’s newer residents, the ring-necked parakeets.
As you look across the tops of the rows from this point, it’s easy to see how working among the vines, outdoors in the fresh air, in a friendly and supportive group, is beneficial to our volunteers’ health. Some are here to help with mental health issues, to combat grief or loneliness, or simply be valued for making a worthwhile contribution to a project. Others come to make new friends and learn new skills, or share their own skills and experience.
Just as it takes different sorts of grapes to produce our wine, it takes different sorts of people to grow them too.
