Our gardening noticeboard: New Shine Garden in Cork City

The members of Shine’s Basement Resource Centre in cooperation with Cork City Council are to launch a new mental-health themed pop-up garden at a previously disused site on Cork’s Kyle Street. 

The garden project aims to encourage people to make the time and space for their mental health and promote the message of the Green Ribbon campaign - and Cork talking about mental health.

The Basement Resource Centre, Shine, is a community mental health resource  on Washington Street in Cork City.

Through its weekly members' meetings and annual evaluations, community members have regularly requested gardening space, but being situated in inner city, there has little gardening space and opportunity.

Over the years community members have attempted to meet their gardening needs by growing plants in window boxes and hanging baskets, and travelling to gardening projects like those at Cork Foyer and the Bessborough Centre.

The idea behind this garden project is to create a temporary display in the historic heart of Cork City, and it will be created by the Basement Resource Centre community in partnership with groups from the wider community.

The garden's theme will be that of the Green Ribbon Campaign - changing minds about mental health, one conversation at a time.

It will incorporate horticulture, art, crafts, creative writing and woodwork elements and will also provide the community with opportunities to foster a sense of wellness and create a lovely atmosphere for locals and the public to enjoy as they pass by.

Sorcha Lowry of See Change's Green Ribbon campaign says:

"We are delighted to see the exciting Green Ribbon garden take shape in Cork and look forward to seeing how the creation of the space sparks increased discussion about mental health."

If you or your organisation would like to support the development of this garden in any way or would like more information, contact Green Ribbon Garden project facilitator Bruno Nicolai at the Basement Resource Centre by telephone on 021 422 6064 or by email at [e-mail]

The Basement Resource Centre is located at 14A Washington Street West.

Shine is the national organisation dedicated to upholding the rights and addressing the needs of all those affected by enduring mental illness including, but not exclusively, schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder and bi-polar disorder, through the promotion and provision of high quality services and working to ensure the continual enhancement of the quality of life of the people it serves.