Tag Archive for: wellbeing

Wellbeing Research Findings emphasise urgent need for action

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Wellbeing Research Findings emphasise urgent need for action: In Spring 2024, Perennial partnered with the University of Exeter’s Social Innovation Group (SIG) to conduct a major new study to better understand the emotional, physical and financial wellbeing of those who work with plants, trees, flowers and grass, and the ways they can be better supported.  

Building on the findings of the 2021 survey, this new research gives an updated, and more in-depth view of the challenges people in horticulture are facing, many of which will come as no surprise to those working in the industry.

Wellbeing Research Findings emphasise urgent need for action

Wellbeing Research Findings emphasise urgent need for action

The findings are clear 

Horticulture professionals continue to experience serious and sustained wellbeing challenges. The research, based on a comprehensive survey of people working across the sector, highlights worrying trends in physical discomfort, mental wellbeing, and financial confidence.

Key statistics include:

52% of people have a health condition that is expected to last more than 12 months – 12% higher than in 2021

84% of people told us that they had experienced back and joint pain in the last 6 weeks and 51% of people didn’t seek advice

83% of people within horticulture scored low or average for their wellbeing using a recognised scale 1

And 32% stated they do not have an emergency fund, with 1 in 10 saving no money at all, pointing to the persistent financial stress faced by many across the industry.

These results highlight the urgent need for action across the industry, as Julia Hayne, Director of Services at Perennial explains:

“The scale of the very real challenges those working in horticulture are facing will not surprise people across the industry. We are living through a period of significant social and political change that has the potential to impact us all. With uncertainties about the future, people’s ability to manage the everyday challenges is being put to the test, from rising prices, increased job insecurity and longer health care waiting lists.

“Ill health is the leading reason why people seek our help. This often means people have to take time off work, which impacts their income, their ability to pay their bills and their family life. In some cases, it means they are unable to return to the job they love.

“Our Wellbeing Research provides the industry with a clear insight into the causes and impact of poor wellbeing. It highlights how individuals across the sector feel about their wellbeing and the issues that are important to them. Over the last three years we have led targeted interventions to improve the health and wellbeing of the industry and this work is beginning to move the dial, in areas of physical and mental health. But we are aware much, much more needs to be done.

“It is essential that we develop an industry-wide understanding of the challenges people face through life and come together to identify real world solutions that make a long-term difference. As a charity we can’t do this alone – collaboration is essential if we want to achieve meaningful change.”

This is further emphasised by Prof Michael Leyshon, Professor (Associate) in Social Geography and Dr Shukru Esmene, Research Fellow, both from the University of Exeter.

“Perennial’s Health and Wellbeing Survey 2024 has shed light on key issues that workers in the horticulture sector experience. The issues of particular interest, which were also prominent in Perennial’s 2021 survey results, include the reporting of lower life satisfaction and higher prevalence of low or medium mental health scores compared to national averages. These areas need sector-wide action to address and will take time to solve.”

Take action now 

Perennial is committed to working in collaboration with the sector to act on these findings, but it will need everyone in the industry to take action.

Some steps to get started for a healthier, more supported horticulture community include: –

  1. Download, read and share the Wellbeing Research Report. 
  2. Hold conversations in your organisation about the ways you will take action.
  3. Join Perennial’s free Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace webinars throughout May-November.
  4. Make everyone aware of the charity’s free advice, information and support available for their health, money, career and life challenges
  5. Tell Perennial what you’re doing or plan to do to inform and inspire others. 

Visit perennial.org.uk/research for more information on all the above and take action today.

1 WEMWBS (2020). WEMWBS: 14-item vs 7-item scale. Warwick Medical School and University of Edinburgh. www.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/med/research/platform/wemwbs/about/wemwbsvsswemwbs/

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Having conversations about mental wellbeing is crucial

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Having conversations about mental wellbeing is crucial: Working in this industry is demanding, both mentally and physically, a fact that cannot be ignored. With all the current uncertainties about the future, people’s ability to manage the everyday challenges – from rising prices, increased job insecurity and longer health care waiting lists – is being put to the test.

This uncertainty has, without question, impacted the mental wellbeing of many. In Perennial’s recent comprehensive Wellbeing Research Report 2025 due out mid-May, almost 83% of people within horticulture scored low or average for their wellbeing using a recognised scale 1

Having conversations about mental wellbeing is crucial

Having conversations about mental wellbeing is crucial

Whether florists, garden centre employees, nursery staff or gardeners, greenkeepers and landscapers, both the employed and self-employed are experiencing issues in their daily lives that need to be tackled.

It is essential therefore, that for long-term success across the industry, open conversations about mental wellbeing in the workplace are held and efforts made to identify concerns and put solutions in place.

There are many ways that both employers and employees can raise awareness and take action. To help start the conversation and make sure everyone feels supported and knows that help is on hand, Perennial has developed a number of free resources and tools including:

Free Mental Wellbeing Webinars

Designed with Mental Health First Aid England to help organisations understand more about mental wellbeing and give people the skills and knowledge on how best to support their colleagues in the workplace. There are 2 x different sessions running throughout May – November 2025.

  1. Support your team by having confident conversations about mental health – aimed at Managers, Supervisors or Team Leaders
  2. Do we need a Mental Health First Aiders in our workplace? – aimed at HR and business owners

Free Mental Wellbeing Resource pack

The charity has developed tools and services to help people during life’s challenges which can all contribute to a person’s mental wellbeing. Details of these are included in the pack which can be downloaded and shared within your organisation

Access to Perennial’s MHFA Ambassador Network

Exclusively for people in horticulture who are trained as a Mental Health First Aider, the network meets virtually once a quarter to share knowledge, ideas and best practice

“The horticulture industry is wonderful, but it does have its challenges. We need to support each other in our workplaces to ensure that everyone can access the advice and support they need for positive mental wellbeing.”

Clare Downs, Head of Preventative Services, Perennial

Take action today and start the conversation within your workplace.

Book your place on one of the free webinars and find out more about all the resources above by visiting perennial.org.uk/workplace-wellbeing

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Biggest Wellbeing Survey for UK Horticulture Industry

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Biggest Wellbeing Survey for UK Horticulture Industry: Perennial, the charity dedicated to supporting people in horticulture, is proud to announce the launch of its largest ever survey to gain a snapshot into the wellbeing of those working in the industry. 

Building on the success of the 2021 Health & Wellbeing Survey, Perennial is calling upon all those working across all sectors to participate in the 2024 survey as their feedback really will make a difference.

Biggest Wellbeing Survey for UK Horticulture Industry

Biggest Wellbeing Survey for UK Horticulture Industry

The charity wants to understand more about people’s daily lives, both inside and outside of work, and the pressures they may be facing – not only to develop their services but to inform others within the industry on the key issues and challenges being faced.

The anonymous survey will run from the 17th May until the end of June and is open to all sectors within horticulture. The results will be analysed and reported on by the University of Exeter and the findings shared with the industry this coming autumn.

For example, a key finding in 2021 was that 85% of people’s mental wellbeing was poor or below average. As a result, Perennial worked with key industry stakeholders to roll out a successful mental health first aid at work programme which saw nearly 100 people trained as mental health first aiders across 11 sectors and 48 companies.

Not only has this added to the number of people across the industry already qualified to provide invaluable support to their colleagues every day, it has widened the conversation and is helping to create a culture of positive mental wellbeing.

By sharing the survey findings, Perennial aims to support and empower the industry to take proactive steps to address such identified challenges. While acknowledging that not all issues can be solved single-handedly, Perennial believes in adopting a collaborative approach and working in partnership with the horticulture sector for positive change.

Julia Hayne, Perennial’s Director of Services, emphasised the importance of sector collaboration, stating, “The research will enable us to formulate more effective tools and support strategies to enhance wellbeing now and into the future. It’s a further step towards achieving our vision of building better futures for people working in horticulture and their families.”

Open to all who work in or have worked in horticulture, everyone is encouraged to take the time to complete the survey and to share with colleagues and friends from Friday 17th May 2024. 

perennial.org.uk/survey

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Join Perennial in creating a culture of mental wellbeing

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Join Perennial in creating a culture of mental wellbeing: Since last year, over 55 individuals from 33 companies have successfully qualified as Mental Health First Aiders as part of Perennial’s pilot programme, offering an invaluable first point of contact for those in their workplace that may be struggling.

Trained to have an understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing, as well as the practical skills to spot the signs and symptoms, these MHFAiders® are there to step in, reassure and support their colleagues.

Join Perennial in creating a culture of mental wellbeing

Join Perennial in creating a culture of mental wellbeing

However, according to Clare Downs, Head of Preventative Services there is still the opportunity for more employers to step forward and join Perennial in tackling the issues and widening the conversation around mental health.

“We are absolutely delighted that so many different horticultural employees, from grounds maintenance to managers to HR personnel, have become trained MHFAiders® and champions of the importance of health and wellbeing within the workplace and beyond. But we also know from our research and experience that mental health issues remain one of the biggest contributors to ill health within the industry.+ We welcome organisations to join us in continuing to raise awareness, support more staff to be trained and influence the wider horticulture community to help create a culture of positive mental wellbeing for all.”

As one recently trained MHFAider® says, “We are at work a lot of hours each week and probably spend more time with our colleagues than our family and friends. I want all my colleagues to feel they have a safe and open environment to speak to a person, who can listen and not judge – and hopefully help them understand and find the support they need.  Since doing the course, I think it should be mandatory along with physical first aiders within a business.”

If you are an employer with over 30 employees who proactively wants to increase their team’s mental health and wellbeing, please contact Helen Waddington to find out more about this pilot programme at hwaddington@perennial.org.uk.

Free limited places are now available for training courses being held during May, July, October and November 2023.

Perennial’s pilot programme is delivered in partnership with Mental Health First Aid England.

+ Perennial’s Health & Wellbeing Survey (2021) found that mental wellbeing was among the biggest perceived challenges for people working in horticulture.

  • 85% of people’s mental wellbeing was poor or below average
  • 26% of people listed depression, anxiety, and stress as critical issues
  • 22% said they did not recognise when they were unable to cope or how to deal with these circumstance

For the full findings visit perennial.org.uk/survey

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Boost your wellbeing

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Boost your wellbeing: Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week (9 – 15 May), wildflower specialist Seedball is looking at how nature and wildlife can improve mental health and wellbeing.

It has long been considered the case that gardening and tending to plants are effective ways to relieve stress and improve wellbeing, and this connection is increasingly being recognised by science. In fact, Sky News reported people who garden daily have wellbeing scores 6.6% higher and stress levels 4.2% lower than those who do not garden at all. Quite simply, a connection to nature has proven benefits for mental health, and this can be enjoyed even without a garden – the simple act of growing something from seed can increase this feeling of connecting with the natural world.

Boost your wellbeing

Boost your wellbeing

Seedball makes it easy to grow wildflowers from seed, no matter how much space is available, or how much experience a person has of gardening. The company believes that the benefits of growing should be available to everyone, so has developed a range of products to make it accessible to all.

Each seed ball acts as a mini ecosystem so the seeds can germinate and grow with very little help. Every ball has between 30 to 100 seeds depending on the variety, and contains clay to protect it from birds, ants and other predators. Peat-free compost is also added to provide nutrition and a small amount of chilli powder is used to deter slugs and snails from eating the young shoots.  There are a wide variety of seedballs available, and they can all be thrown onto soil or compost in a garden bed, pot or planter during the Spring or Autumn.

Here are some of the ways the easy ways Seedball can help you encourage wildflowers, wildlife and nature into your life:

Wildflower Tins

RRP: £6.00

Seedball has a variety of compact tins , which are bursting full of 20 balls ready to be grown, the perfect amount for a small flower bed. They are also a great choice for those living in urban environments, with limited outdoor space as the seeds can be sprinkled into three – five medium sized pots to create a wildlife haven on a balcony or terrace. Each seed ball contains approximately 30 seeds with a variety of wildflowers included.  Wildflower tins have multiple varieties including the Bee Mix, Urban Meadow and Butterfly Mix, all that wildlife will just love!

RRP: £8.00 – £12.00

For those looking to create a wider patch of wildflowers, Seedball has a variety of  Grab Bags.  For generously sized gardens and outdoor spaces, the larger Grab Bags, each containing 100 seed balls are perfect, making it easy for anyone to create a larger wildflower patch or multiple smaller areas within an area. These bags are available in different varieties, such as the Bee Mix, Foragers Mix and Annuals Mix, each including a variety of wildflowers, which make growing a beautiful field of colour simple and uncomplicated.

For further flexibility, Seedball also has a range of Single Flower Grab Bags, each containing 50 seed balls of a single flower, allowing people to design their garden, balcony, patio or terrace, whether it be a plant pot bursting with blissful bluebells, or a garden bed filled with the hugely popular poppies. With over 20 varieties to choose from, there is something for everyone, with wildflowers including buttercups, red clover, chamomile and yarrow.

Meadow Pots

RRP: £20.00

The Mini Meadow pots are the all in one gift set for anyone who loves gardening or new plant growers as they provide a simple and easy way to create a wildlife haven. Everything needed comes supplied in the 100% recyclable box, including the 12 seed wildflower balls, along with a set of three biodegradable and compostable bamboo pots and saucers and peat-free coir discs. All you need to do is add water, and you are ready to watch the flowers grow! The pots are best positioned outdoors, on a windowsill, and can be set up at any time of the year. There are three varieties available, the Bee Mix, Butterfly Mix and Garden Meadow, all with a different combination of seeds.

Find out more about how Seedball is helping encourage wellness and wellbeing at https://seedball.co.uk/about/.

You can also find Seedball on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

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