Peter Dowdall: How gardening connects us and grounds us

'As we get older, loneliness can become a serious issue. It's not exclusive to the older generation, but many of us may face it'

Gardening with your friends and neighbours in the form of community gardens and allotments is a way to stay connected and feel less isolated. File picture

I recently found myself in Newmarket, Co Cork, where I had been invited to open the seniors conference organised by IRD Duhallow’s Active Retirement Network, which represents 21 active retirement groups throughout the Duhallow region.

I was there to talk at the conference about the benefits that gardens and gardening can bring to all of us and the important messages of the green environment’s ability to offer help with the serious challenges of mental health issues, climate change and species extinction.