A holistic approach to wellbeing: Greener on the Outside for Prisons (GOOP)

Greener on the Outside of Prisons (GOOP)

Spectrum Community Health CIC is proud to support the development and implementation of GOOP (Greener on the Outside for Prisons) projects across several prison sites where we currently provide healthcare services.

What is GOOP?

GOOP is a health and wellbeing programme which runs in several prisons across the UK and is designed to improve the health and wellbeing of patients by involving them with a range of environmental activities, including gardening. Research has shown that gardening, horticulture and outdoor activities have real therapeutic benefits for mental health.

Working with HMPPS and raft of fantastic mental health specialist providers (including GMMH, TEWV, Rethink and Mersey Care) Spectrum’s thriving healthcare partnerships are complemented by an equally thriving connection to nature. As part of this work, we want to showcase just a few of the GOOP projects our service users have been involved with over the past few years.

HMP Kirkham

Since 2021, men involved with GOOP in Kirkham have managed to boost habitats for wildlife by planting a new hedges of hawthorn, blackthorn, dog rose, guelder-rose and hazel as well as beech, oak, ash and birch trees. The prison’s Horticulture Enterprise has continued, with greenhouses filled with produce ready to harvest for the kitchens, farm shop and wholesale market.

The men on the new temporary accommodation have also made their own garden area outside their building, planting flowers in a flower bed and painting old planters.

HMP Styal

In summer 2022, HMP Styal won the Silver Gilt award of the Community Borders category at the RHS Tatton Show. Their entry, entitled ‘Weeders and Bloomers’, was a celebration of plants inspired by the history of women workers on prison farms, the impact women weeders had on estates in the 18th century, and their role as bloomers in 1900. The garden was created by inmates who had no prior experience of gardening, alongside the dedicated Farms and Gardens team. Following the RHS show, the garden has been incorporated into the prison grounds.

Sharon Loving, who runs the Crops & Produce department at Styal, said, “We have some women who have been in the prison system for a long time and are quite involved in the garden – they are the backbone of what we do. Then we have other women who have never been involved in gardening, or have probably never even had a garden, or seen fresh fruit and veg. They get involved and realise that they are quite good at something that they would have never experienced.”

HMP Lancaster Farms

In HMP Lancaster Farms, gardening and GOOP projects have taken on an even greater importance since the COVID-19 pandemic. Prisoners have grown over 8,000 bedding plants to enhance the grounds and planters around the prison, along with fruit and veg for the kitchen. All of the greenhouses have been repaired, and grown from seed so far are herbs, tomatoes, courgettes, green beans, peas, cabbages and peppers for the prison kitchen. Eight gardens outside each wing were revamped with full landscaping.

HMP Haverigg

• Prisoners at HMP Haverigg have been kept extremely busy over the past few years, thanks to GOOP. Since December 2019, Parkfield (a 12 acre field within the outer fence of the prison) has seen the following work and developments implemented by the men involved with GOOP;
• Sunflower walk - a nature trail, lined with sunflower plants, taking you through the area of the field designated as a nature reserve.
• A pond - dug out by hand and using funding from the 'Pond in Every Prison' project.
• An orchard using local apple, pear and Meddlar varieties, which also includes native trees to produce a hedge surround.
• Bird Watchers Hide (Twitchers Retreat) - halfway through the nature trail is a bird hide made from a recycled cattle carriage, adapted and fitted with seating and fixed binocular points. The trailer has numerous books and posters relevant to bird watching.
• Trees - As well as the established and newly planted wild flowers, saplings of the endangered Aspen tree have been planted.
• Feeding tables - to encourage more variety of birds, numerous tall-roofed bird tables have been erected. There are also smaller bird baths located across the area to enable ground dwellers access to water.
• Wild flowers
• Beehives - two sets of bee hives have been constructed in the field; these are thriving thanks to the plethora of flowers nearby.

HMP Hull

Back in 2018, HMP Hull triumphed for having the best-kept garden in a prison in the country, beating 15 others to win the prestigious RHS Windlesham Trophy.

The outdoor space, tended to by 20 prisoners, has helped develop not only self-worth but also key transferable skills which can be used outside in the community. RHS judges said Hull stood out because of its production of fruit and vegetable, which are used in the prison's kitchens as well as donated to local foodbanks. The Windlesham Trophy award was set up by the RHS in 1983 by the former chairman of the Parole Board Lord Windlesham, to develop prisoners' sense of worth and "encourage garden excellence within the prison community".