{"id":15,"date":"2025-02-18T22:05:43","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T22:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.growingroots.org.uk\/new\/about\/"},"modified":"2025-05-08T15:59:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T15:59:11","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.growingroots.org.uk\/new\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Growing Roots team<\/strong> brings together a rich blend of expertise in education, physiotherapy, therapeutic horticulture, youth mentoring, and community support<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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They are all united by a shared passion for helping young people thrive beyond the classroom<\/strong> understanding the challenges young people face and the transformative power of nature<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Meet The Team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Growing Roots Social and Therapeutic Horticulturalist and all volunteers have enhanced DBS Certificates and Safeguarding training<\/strong>.
Growing Roots has 3rd<\/sup> party Liability insurance<\/strong>. Our policies are listed in our Code of Conduct<\/strong>, copies of which can be requested from secretary@growingroots.org.uk<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We do not offer counselling. Our Guidelines for Good Practice<\/strong> can be found here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jane Cummings<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Social and Therapeutic Horticulturalist<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jane is the founder and lead Social and Therapeutic Horticulturist<\/strong> at Growing Roots. With 12 years of experience as a Curriculum Support Tutor<\/strong> at Strode College<\/strong>, she witnessed how challenges like low self-confidence, social struggles, and difficult home environments<\/strong> could hinder young people\u2019s educational success. This sparked her passion for using horticulture as a transformative tool<\/strong> to foster personal growth and well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She pursued professional training in Social and Therapeutic Horticulture with Thrive<\/strong> and achieved the prestigious RHS Level 3 Diploma<\/strong>. Through this, she honed her ability to design and adapt gardening activities to nurture mental health, build self-esteem, and encourage social connection<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jane is deeply committed to creating inclusive and inspiring nature-based experiences<\/strong> that empower young people to gain confidence, develop new skills, and form meaningful connections<\/strong>. She firmly believes that spending time outdoors\u2014whether actively gardening or simply enjoying the environment\u2014can boost emotional resilience, alleviate stress, and enhance overall well-being<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Mike King<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Safeguarding<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike spent 20 years as a primary school Head Teacher<\/strong> in Suffolk and Somerset before joining Sport England as a Lottery Fund Manager<\/strong>, where he supported community sports projects across the Southwest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He later helped establish the Compass Youth Inclusion Support Project in Bath<\/strong>, mentoring young people at risk of offending. As Coordinator of the Sedgemoor Learning Alliance<\/strong>, he secured over \u00a31 million in funding<\/strong> to provide disadvantaged children with access to extra-curricular and educational opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passionate about the benefits of Horticultural Therapy<\/strong>, Mike believes it helps build aspiration, confidence, and educational success<\/strong>.
Now retired in Devon, he remains active in the community as a Director of Growing Roots CIC<\/strong>, overseeing Safeguarding<\/strong>, and as a Dartington Primary School governor<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also volunteers with South Hams Citizens Advice<\/strong> and leads Dartington Hall garden tours<\/strong>. A keen outdoorsman, he enjoys walking, nature, and community engagement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Dick Cummings<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Secretary<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After many years working as a Chartered Engineer, Dick spent 12 years teaching<\/strong> computing and electronics engineering at several local FE colleges and is now retired, but very active!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He provides useful technical expertise to Growing Roots particularly in the areas of finance and the law<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dick has been an allotment holder<\/strong> for over 25 years.

















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Sue Gillison<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Volunteer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sue worked as a paediatric physiotherapist<\/strong> in the Midlands and Taunton for over 20 years, helping children build strength and confidence. Her passion for nature led her to earn a Diploma in Therapeutic Horticulture<\/strong> at Moreton Morrell College and the Henry Doubleday Institute<\/strong> in 1997\u2014an experience she found both fun and inspiring!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She later spent 10 years with Citizens Advice in Taunton<\/strong>, supporting disabled people in accessing the right benefits. Now retired, Sue keeps busy with a variety of volunteering roles<\/strong>, including her work with Growing Roots<\/strong>, where she sees firsthand how gardening can boost well-being and bring people together<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Ann Watson<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Volunteer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ann is a retired secondary school teacher<\/strong> who has taught at several schools, including two in Zambia, and most recently in Midsomer Norton<\/strong>. She has also been a tutor at Strode College<\/strong> and played a key role in establishing Mendip Community Support<\/strong>, an organisation that worked with local voluntary and community groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A passionate gardener, Ann has seen firsthand the positive impact of therapeutic gardening<\/strong> through her volunteering with Growing Roots<\/strong>. She believes that learning in an outdoor environment offers young people a unique opportunity<\/strong> to develop skills beyond the classroom. Watching them grow in confidence, collaborate, and thrive<\/strong> in nature has been incredibly rewarding.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Get Involved<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Volunteering provides a sense of purpose and fulfilment, offering satisfaction from making a difference in others\u2019 lives<\/strong>. Many volunteers gain confidence and self-esteem<\/strong> while developing new skills and valuable experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outdoor activities like gardening at Growing Roots can have many benefits<\/strong> promoting fitness, relaxation, and a break from daily pressures<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, giving time to a Growing Roots will help nurture both you and the children and young people we support<\/strong>; this creates a positive cycle of well-being, personal growth, and community connection<\/strong>.

If you’d like to find out more about how you can help please contact us – we’d love to hear from you!<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Growing Roots team brings together a rich blend of expertise in education, physiotherapy, therapeutic horticulture, youth mentoring, and community support. They are all united by a shared passion for helping young people thrive beyond the classroom understanding the challenges young people face and the transformative power of nature. Meet The Team Growing Roots Social […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"no-title","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-15","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growingroots.org.uk\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growingroots.org.uk\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growingroots.org.uk\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growingroots.org.uk\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growingroots.org.uk\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.growingroots.org.uk\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":391,"href":"https:\/\/www.growingroots.org.uk\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15\/revisions\/391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growingroots.org.uk\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}