How does your garden grow?
How does your garden grow? Exploring the acceptability of
a simple eco-therapy based intervention for individuals suffering
from cancer and their families.
Project Team
We are looking for around 30 individuals to take part in the
project across the South West Wales area between June and October
2011, including individuals with cancer and those who may be caring
for someone with cancer. The aim of the study is to find out
whether growing an indoor-garden display can have beneficial
effects for individuals with cancer, and also family members and
carers. Participants will be asked to attend an informal
group meeting where they will be shown how to start their own
indoor mini-garden and come up with their own ideas of how to
create their own display. They will then be given their own
mini-garden display to take home with them and will be asked to
look after it for a three-month period.
Throughout the project, participants will be asked to write
about how they have found looking after their mini-garden on a
secure on-line blog on this website and a brief daily diary-writing
exercise. At the end of the project, participants will
be asked to attend another group meeting to talk about whether or
not they found looking after their mini-gardens to be enjoyable,
and to let us know about any problems or frustrations along the
way!
Lead researchers:
Dr Ceri Phelps: Ceri is a health
psychologist and a lecturer in Psychology at Swansea Metropolitan
University. She can be contacted by e-mail at:
ceri.phelps@smu.ac.uk
Carol Hughes: Carol is a BACP accredited
counsellor who leads the counsellor development programmes at
Swansea Metropolitan University. She can be contacted by e-mail at:
carol.hughes@smu.ac.uk
Research Assistant:
Carole Butler: Carole is the research
assistant and can be contacted by e-mail at:
carole.butler@smu.ac.uk
Project advisors:
Julie Bowen: Julie is an experienced
horticulturalist who runs the Gower Plant and Shrub
Centre, Llangennith, Gower. Julie will be on hand to
help create the first part of the indoor garden displays and will
offer advice on looking after plants throughout the project.
Liwsi Kim Protheroe-Davies: Liwsi Kim is a
genetic counsellor who specialises in cancer genetics and will
advise on important issues throughout the project.
Project website: www.howdoesyourgardengrow-wales.net
Gower Tree Shrub and Plant Centre: www.gowerplants.com