A new partnership to help the Dorchester copmmunity is being celebrated.

Transition Town Dorchester (TTD) has expressed its 'delight' to welcome Dorset Mind to take up a dedicated space at their Community Farm in Poundbury to deliver their Eco in Mind ecotherapy support and activities for local people that want to improve their wellbeing.

"Dorset Mind is an eagerly anticipated partner for the TTD Community Farm, where we encourage our own volunteers and others to enjoy the health benefits of spending time in the natural surroundings of the Community Orchard and Food Grow, whilst learning about and practising permaculture sustainable farming methods. We are also keen to support Eco in Mind's initiative to provide freshly grown food produce for Dorchester Community Church, to help people in need who may not be able to participate at the Farm themselves." said Kate Forrester, Secretary & Fundraiser for Transition Town Dorchester.

Initial preparations to set up the space began in March 2024, following a planned design, and the first group activities have already commenced. New TTD Farm Community Coordinator and Poundbury resident, Michelle Markham, will be working with Dorset Mind's Dorchester Session Facilitator, Georgia Woollard, to support the new Partnership as it develops.  

Georgia comments, "I'm thrilled to be sharing a space with Transition Town in Dorchester, with a long-term view for plans over the next 5 or 10 years! This will allow us to cultivate the land and learn what grows well. The site is on a bus route which also makes it accessible to people from different towns and villages in the surrounding area."

Dorset Mind CEO, Linda O'Sullivan adds, "We're delighted to provide this essential service for adults and young people of Dorchester and welcome the opportunity to partner with Transition Town on the project. Georgia has liaised with local schools to help educate students, especially those young people who find it hard to go to school and are at risk of becoming excluded. They in particular have benefited from working and learning outside."

Dorset Mind's Patron and Principal Academic at Bournemouth University, Dr Andy Mayers says: "I am delighted to see this new Eco in Mind partnership with Transition Town Dorchester. At this time of increasing concerns over the environment, it is refreshing to see a project that uses sustainable farming to promote wellbeing through ecotherapy."

Transition Town Dorchester is a non-profit organisation that has had a volunteer managed Community Farm project on Duchy land within Poundbury since 2010, and is particularly looking forward to local community groups making more use of the farm space. Plans for various new projects at the Farm are underway, or in the works, for the next year or two.

They include Wildlife Pond renovation with the Dorchester Poundbury Rotary Club and Poundbury Garden Centre, a new weekly Learning Group on Tuesdays for those with no experience in Permaculture or food growing, and the launch of dedicated Social Media platforms to share news about the Farm's activities and events. Also being considered is the creation of a Forest School, to provide a further space for activities for younger people in the area.

Georgia and the Dorset Mind Team will deliver sessions for adults on Mondays (11.45am to 12.45pm) and Thursdays (10 to 11am) – and work directly with schools, groups and organisations to offer bespoke sessions. The sessions will run all year, and you might expect to take part in activities such as: Sowing seeds and planting fruit and vegetables; Digging, weeding and pruning; seed to plate projects, planning new spaces and upcycling pallets; building raised beds and bird boxes, creating wildlife habitats and nature-based arts and crafts.

To learn more about Transition Town Dorchester Community Farm and Dorset Mind's Eco in Mind service - and how to provide support or get involved in their activities, you can find further information at:

http://transitiontowndorchester.org/ and https://dorsetmind.uk/.