Seeds of kindness sowed by #LettuceBeKind campaign

 

All carried the message #LettuceBeKind – and suggested that ‘perhaps the roots to kindness can start with yourself’.

 

The reader was then invited to ‘be kind to this lettuce and it will repay your kindness’.

 

The campaign was to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, and was organised by the Penrose Roots to Recovery service in Luton at a time when it usually holds its annual ‘walk and talk’ event – allowing service users and local partners discuss mental health in a relaxed and open way.

 

Roots to Recovery is part of the Penrose Connects Community Based Recovery Services (CBRS), which provides support, training and volunteering opportunities for those who are socially isolated or lacking a network of support. The service is vital in building confidence, and creating opportunities for volunteering, training and pathways to paid employment.

 

Launched in June 2017 following a small pilot project, its Recovery Garden has been a great success and is now a much loved area of Luton and the proud winners of Community Project of the Year 2019.

 

But last year one of its flagship events could not take place during the coronavirus pandemic – and so the team grew the lettuces from seeds, made care labels, and randomly placed the vegetables across Luton for residents to pick up and take home.

 

Service manager Samantha Smith said: “We had to come up with an alternative plan to mark the occasion. The theme for 2020 was ‘kindness’ which plays very close to the heart of all that attend our various projects.

 

“The challenge was to create a campaign at a time when people are at their most disconnected, and kindness is shown from a distance, and to tie it into what we currently do at our wonderful community garden in New Bedford Road.

 

“The team got to work, planting up 50 lettuce seeds into pots, to grow and nurture into something that we could give out to the community.”

 

Ryan is a regular visitor to the garden and looks forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays, never missing a session. He described the garden as giving him purpose: "My head is much clearer, I have great new friends, I am more confident and am hopeful of more improvement. I am very grateful to Penrose. Penrose is the best service there is for mental wellbeing.”

 

And Billy has been going to Roots for over two years. He said: “I go to Roots to keep my mind occupied and to meet different people. I like the project as I do not get judged for my past mistakes, it has helped me get through some bad times and the staff are very helpful.

 

"They help me keep on the straight and narrow by helping me with letters and other things. They help me sort any problem that I have come up and support me to appointments when needed.”

 

The campaign was very successful, with excited social media from people who had found one of the lovingly-grown lettuces. The story was picked up by the BBC, and the organisers were invited to talk about the campaign on Three Counties Radio.

 

Facebook user Charlotte posted: “We found ours just off Neville Road / Limbury Road. It’s in our veg patch where the baby looks after it.”

 

Noddy also posted: “Cannot believe it! I shared your post thinking it was lovely, and then my hubby says, ‘I’ve just walked past a lettuce at a bus stop.’ So he picked it up! I was chuffed to come in to find a lettuce in my kitchen. We promise to look after it and of course pay it forward.”

 

Samantha said: “It was a huge effort made by the whole team and helped get the message of kindness out there as a gentle reminder that in these days of disconnect we have never been more connected.

 

“We are only able to continue what we do and will only survive this crisis because of the support we receive from Luton Council and the funding from London Luton Airport Ltd. So thank you for your support, from the whole Penrose Roots team.”

 

Find out more about, or get involved with, Roots Recovery Garden here or follow them on Facebook here.