Gardening and me - Barrie's gardening story
"Do things that bring you satisfaction, pleasure or even a little pride, because you’re worth it!"
In May, Parkinson's UK is heading to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Our garden represents the journey of living with Parkinson's, capturing moments of adaptation, challenge, hope and connection. It’s a unique chance to raise awareness of Parkinson's and showcase the benefits of getting outdoors into the garden.
The space has been designed by BBC's Arit Anderson, and created in collaboration with people living with Parkinson's, including volunteer, member, and one of our head gardeners, Barrie. We had the chance to speak with Barrie about his involvement in the garden and the role that gardening plays in his own personal journey.
Barrie says...
"I got into gardening at the age of 5. We'd previously lived in rented accommodation and it had no garden, just a shared backyard. Then my parents told me we were moving to a different part of the city to our own home and that it had a back garden. It was fairly big and quite overgrown, but I was very excited.
"Even before adulthood and Parkinson's I was sold on gardens and was encouraged by my father to join in. I was given a small patch of the garden which was mine.
"The first things I was able to grow were beautiful pink and ruby red hollyhocks and I still grow them now. To this day, the garden has always given me good memories of my childhood, connecting me to my parents who are no longer here."
It fills me with love and it makes me feel safe. Parkinson's hasn’t changed that - if anything it's reinforced it.
"Gardening these days maintains the enjoyment I felt previously, but since diagnosis, it's become much more! It's my daily physical therapy and probably the mainstay of my ensuring my mental health.
"I'm not the best gardener in the world, but the feeling of enjoying yourself and using your environment is something I've passed onto my children."
If you were thinking about getting into gardening, or visiting gardens, whether historical or community, I’d say try it.
"Gardens bring beauty and pleasure into life."
Turning the spotlight on Parkinson's
"The upcoming Chelsea Flower Show is an international iconic event and Parkinson's is a condition that's also international. To have the assistance of the Royal Horticultural Society in promoting the challenges and successes that our community has faced, as well as the tenacity it displays is inspiring.
"Being able to contribute to the show makes me incredibly proud to be a member of the Parkinson's UK team and enables me and my family to celebrate the legacy shared with me by my parents.
"It demonstrates the resilience of people and the beauty and joy that can be found in life, despite the difficulties that can be encountered."