The Tinnis Trust, a Roxburghshire based registered charity, is opening a new sensory garden to help women and children who have experienced trauma. The Tinnis Trust provides equine therapy, care farming and nature therapy for women and children who have experienced trauma or spent time in the social care system.
The ethos of the Tinnis Trust is that no one is beyond recovery and, as a metaphor for this, they have re-used, recycled and repurposed as many materials as possible in the creation of this garden. With the help of volunteers and a generous grant of £2,500 from the Naturesave Trust, they have repurposed a disused area of land at their centre, creating a garden with a variety of planters, shelters, windchimes, bird feeders, bug hotels and a herb spiral. The aim is to stimulate all of the senses, with textured paths to walk, plants to touch and taste, colourful flowers, aromatic herbs, and windchimes. The garden also includes a mud kitchen made from a repurposed sink where children can play, and a cold frame made from old windows where volunteers can grow vegetables.
Trauma significantly impacts a person’s ability to respond to sensory input, making them feel numb and disconnected from the world around them. Research shows that sensory integration, using plants, animals and the outdoors can help guide trauma survivors towards recovery. This garden provides a place where people who access trauma recovery retreats at the farm can regain peace and reconnect with themselves and the world around them.
The Tinnis Trust is a registered charity that advocates for equines and helps people to access the life-changing benefits of animals and the outdoors. You can learn more about their work here.