- Posted March 16, 2012
TV botanist James Wong officially opened The Edible Garden Show 2012 today (March 16) with help from injured servicemen and staff from Headley Court, the Surrey-based armed forces rehabilitation centre.
Headley Court has developed an innovative garden therapy unit to help servicemen returning from conflicts recover their strength, mobility and co-ordination. The horticultural therapy project is run by Major Peter Le Feuvre who says that gardening and grow-your-own also helps patients improve their concentration and reduce stress levels.
Major Le Feuvre and his team were invited to attend the award-winning grow-your-own event at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire to highlight the therapeutic benefits of gardening.
Major Le Feuvre spoke at the show’s Experts Theatre, giving the audience an insight into the success of the ‘green’ therapy. He described the remarkable progress made by the injured soldiers and how growing and nurturing plants has helped their recovery.
He was joined on the platform by representatives from Gardening Leave – a charity set up in 2007 to improve the mental and physical well-being of serving and ex-service personnel using horticultural therapy.
Welcoming the staff and soldiers from Headley Court, BBC TV’s award-winning ‘Grow Your Own Drugs’ presenter James Wong said: “We all know that growing our own fruit and vegetables has great health benefits but projects such as this demonstrate that grow your own and getting out into the garden or on to an allotment can really improve your overall health and wellbeing.”
James, who is renowned for his plant-based remedies, has been encouraging everyone to grow adventurous crops and exotic vegetables in their gardens and allotment plots during his talks in the Experts Theatre.
The Edible Garden Show 2012 brought together inspirational celebrity gardeners and chefs, key livestock experts and innovative exhibitors to create a one-stop shop for anyone wishing to grab a slice of the ‘Good Life’.
Celebrity chef John Burton-Race dished up delectable delights in the Cookery Theatre which also saw Rachel Green cook up a menu using home-grown British produce.
The three-day spectacular is the only national show dedicated to the grow-your-own revolution.
The Edible Garden Show 2012 is officially opened today by (front row l-r) Marine Cassidy Little, Cpl Paul Nichol and TV botanist James Wong, with Major Peter Le Feuvre (back row, second from left) and representatives of Headley Court armed forces rehabilitation centre and the charity Gardening Leave.