20 Years, 20 Voices celebrates the people, charities, donors and partners who have helped shape Sussex Community Foundation over the past two decades.
Anne-Marie leads the Lewes House Garden Project at Common Cause Co-operative. Supported by Sussex Community Foundation since 2011, the organisation has grown its work to create welcoming spaces where people of all ages and backgrounds can connect through gardening.
For Anne-Marie, who leads the Lewes House Garden Project, it began with a simple belief: spending time in nature is good for everyone.
“Lewes House Garden Project was set up because I’ve always appreciated that being outdoors, close to nature. Doing practical tasks in a friendly group is very good for all of us,” she explains. “During Covid, that message came home loud and clear. We need to have time outside, near trees and green space. That’s how it came about.”
Originally working with GP surgeries in Lewes, the project has since opened its doors much more widely.
“Now it’s very much open to everybody,” Anne-Marie says. “Our belief is that everybody benefits.”
For Anne-Marie, the project is also shaped by her own experience.
“I became a gardener quite late in life, during a difficult time,” she says. “It was transformative for me.”
That personal connection underpins her belief in what the garden offers others.
On any given day, the garden reflects the diversity of the community it serves.
“I’d say pretty much anyone who lives within our local community is represented here,” she says. “We’ve got people of different ages, different levels of experience. Some are fully fit, some need to do jobs sitting down. Some are experienced gardeners, others are complete beginners.”
That mix is central to how the garden works. Tasks are designed to be flexible, and people are encouraged to take part in whatever way suits them best.
“We’ve got people potting up plants sitting down, and others working at standing-height troughs,” she explains. “We can accommodate people of different physical abilities. And as we get to know people, we find tasks they enjoy. They choose what they want to do.”
The setting itself plays an important role in how people experience the space.
“This space is just ideal,” Anne-Marie says. “It’s enclosed, with high walls, the house, a bit of woodland. So immediately you walk in here, it feels like an environment where you’re held. You’re safe.”
That sense of safety allows people to arrive as they are, without pressure or expectation.
“It’s very relaxed. And as we get to know people, we find the tasks that suit them and that they enjoy.”
Alongside gardening, the project supports people experiencing a wide range of challenges, including mental health difficulties, isolation, and the lasting impacts of the pandemic.
“We do see people referred through surgeries who are experiencing depression, anxiety, or isolation,” she says. “Covid left huge scars, particularly for young people. This is a place where people can come and be part of something.”
“I think it’s the wonderful mix of participants, this space, and the people we work with,” Anne-Marie says. “I’ve got a fantastic colleague, Gabby, who is an absolute expert in plants.”
She also highlights the wider network of local organisations working in nature and conservation.
“We’re well linked with other projects in Lewes working on trees, wildlife and wildflower spaces,” she says. “We feed off each other in a really positive way.”
The impact of the garden can be both immediate and long-term.
Anne-Marie reflects. “Some of the changes we see in people are quite dramatic. We’ve had people who were severely depressed and unable to work, who have been able to go back to work. Others who have chosen to go into horticulture as a career.
For many, the benefits are social as well as practical.
“For many people who were spending a lot of time on their own, it's a wonderful opportunity to be in a friendly group and expand their social connections.”
There are also physical benefits to the work itself.
“You’re moving, bending, lifting, being active,” she says. “That’s good for people too.”
Like many community-led projects, funding is essential to its survival.
“We couldn’t do what we do without funding,” Anne-Marie says simply. “It’s getting harder, so we have to put together a patchwork of support. Sussex Community Foundation has consistently helped us, which has been fantastic.”
She is clear about the impact this has.
“Without that funding, we couldn’t do it. That's the literal truth. So we're really, really grateful."
At its heart, the Lewes House Garden Project is about connection, between people, nature and community.
“It’s a brilliant way to bring people together who might not otherwise meet,” Anne-Marie says. “And that, I think, is what makes it so powerful.”
Subscribe to our newsletter.
"*" indicates required fields
