The 'Plant a Thought' project aims to raise vital funds for the park during Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from May 10th-16th.

Founder, Darren Kench, will leave 30 'pollinator packs' around Leasowes Park, over several weekends, for people to find. The packs, which aim to allow people to ‘grow together’ as a community, contain a recycled milk carton planted up with zinnia seedlings together with a bespoke packet of seeds.
 
Darren launched the Plant a Thought project in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the kindness that has inspired communities to come together. He grows and distributes free wildlife-friendly flower seedlings so that others can experience a little of the joy he found in his own garden during lockdown. Darren said: 
 
"As a volunteer for Leasowes Walled Garden, I've supported both them and Halesowen in Bloom in their own efforts to make Halesowen a more connected and colourful community in which to live, work and visit. Together we can make a positive impact on the town and the wildlife that inhabits it, by looking after our environment and each other. 
 
“Healthy ecosystems and healthy minds go hand-in-hand and it’s this connection between our wildlife and our wellbeing that’s central to the Plant a Thought project’s mission. Leasowes Walled Garden is a haven in Halesowen, providing a refuge for the community and the wildlife it attracts, through the continued work of Halesowen Abbey Trust who manage the site with nature in mind.” 
  
'Nature' is the theme for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week. Most of us are fortunate enough to have access to parks and gardens, but many children with life-limiting illnesses and their families, in hospices, don’t have that luxury.  
 
Greenfingers - the UK charity that funds gardens in children's hospices - works to change that. With your support they aim to get gardens built in children’s hospices and ensure that Leasowes Walled Garden receives the funds it needs to provide for the community.
 
You can make an online donation to the Plant a Thought project. Each donation will be divided equally between both charities.