Max is in his thirties and was referred to Sacro’s Garden Project, unemployed, and having previously served a prison sentence.
Initially, he was wary of other people that he didn’t know and was uncomfortable engaging in conversation with them. He gradually settled into weekly gardening sessions, attending punctually and consistently.
Over time he became more communicative and friendly with both staff and other participants and displayed a sense of humour that had not previously been evident.
After three months participating in The Garden Project, he secured full time employment. On his day off, he continues to attend gardening sessions and states he is keen to keep benefitting from being outdoors, being sociable and improving his gardening skills whilst completing his RCHS ‘Help Yourself Grow Award, portfolio.
He is now proficient in using a variety of hand tools and gardening techniques and shows a continued willingness to add to his knowledge. The next steps will be to find further learning support to improve his literacy with a view to embarking on a college course in vehicle mechanics.