Widow and Widowers Garden Support
Offering recent widows and widowers 1 year of free gardening services as a gesture of empathy. Read on for details.
Through my gardening work, I’ve witnessed firsthand how simple tasks can overwhelm those coping with loss. Sometimes, a little support goes a long way. – Brodie Birkett
What is our Garden Support?
Widow and Widower Garden Support is our way of giving back to the communities Birkett Gardens is a part of. Our efforts focus on supporting recent widows and widowers (last 2 years) during their challenging times by offering free hours of gardening each week. Whether that be tidying up a private home garden before a wake or keeping garden beds from becoming overrun in the proceeding months. While we’re not a registered charity, our commitment to giving back is unwavering.
Why Widows and Widowers?
Here’s why we’ve chosen to support recent widows and widowers:
Isolation and Grief: Widows and widowers often experience profound loneliness and grief after losing their life partners. Their social networks often shrink, and they can struggle to find emotional support.
Practical Challenges: Beyond the emotional toll, widows and widowers must navigate practical challenges such as funeral arrangements, legal paperwork, and financial adjustments. These tasks can be daunting, especially during a time of mourning.
Neglected Spaces: Gardens and outdoor spaces are often neglected when widows and widowers are coping with loss and become overwhelming. Yet, these areas can provide solace, healing, and a sense of continuity.
Biggest Impact: With limited resources and availability, we must focus on where we can have the biggest impact. That is why we have chosen to support those dealing with loss in the last two years.
Our Approach
We offer a free gardening cleanup and maintenance plan to recent widows and widowers. We aim to collaborate with funeral homes, local churches, and local support groups to reach those who have recently lost their life partners, offering our garden services as a gesture of empathy. We offer this through a structured plan of:
First meeting to discuss garden needs and wishes.- Kick-off cleaning and maintenance session to put everything in place.
- Three more sessions for tidying, pruning and upkeep throughout the year.
- (1st) Late winter / early spring; (2nd) Early summer; (3rd) Late summer / Autumn. Sessions are limted to two hours.
How you can get involved
If you or someone you know are interested in this service, please call 04 030 PLANT(75268) or fill in your information on the enquiries page and we will be in touch as soon as possible. Although we wish to help as many people as possible, we have limited availability and are subject to weather conditions.
In Memory of...
- Miguel
- Glorianne