Volunteers blooming after appearance at Southport Flower Show

VOLUNTEERS supporting NHS services in St Helens have designed and built a garden which aims to highlight the benefits of gardening on positive mental health and was featured in the prestigious Southport Flower Show.

The garden, titled:- 'Rooted in Wellbeing,' was created by Mersey Care's Peasley Cross Gardening Group and was part of the Flower Show as a display item. As the garden was based on a beach theme, the volunteers used plants normally found in coastal areas (see photograph below).

Bernadette Millington, Mersey Care's Patient & Public Involvement Co-ordinator, explained:- "I've had the opportunity to work with the volunteer gardening group for a number of years and the changes it makes in people's lives is amazing. Some of them when they 1st volunteer won't give eye contact and have little confidence to speak, but the environment gives them the opportunity to build confidence in a safe, welcoming space at their own pace. We're currently working alongside the recovery team, who bring along patients who are on their recovery journey, and they've been returning every week and are now able to join the volunteer group on a permanent basis, which is a massive step in their social inclusion journey.”

Since its appearance in Southport, the garden has now returned to Peasley Cross Hospital in St Helens, where the volunteers are based, and will be recreated in the orchard area of the hospital grounds.

Susan Pearson, one of the volunteers who worked on the project, added:- "I've had a fantastic few days doing the Southport garden and it's been a wonderful experience. We all worked together so well to produce a beautiful garden, with each of us playing our part from the drawing board to the finished project.”

CLA poll finds:- '80% of farmers worry for survival' as Government presses ahead with Family Farm Tax

A new poll of 500 farmers and landowners has revealed how the Government's:- 'Family Farm Tax' is wrecking trust, livelihoods and Labour's future in rural seats.

The survey, conducted by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), has highlighted the far-reaching consequences of the Treasury's plans to cut vital inheritance tax reliefs for farms and family businesses from April.

Nearly 80% of respondents said they are worried their business will not survive the next ten years, while over 60% have considered selling their farm and leaving the industry.

Not a single respondent of the 500 said they would vote for Labour at the next election, while 36% said they would back Reform, with the Conservatives on 38%.

Earlier this summer the Treasury published an impact assessment of the changes, along with the draft legislation of the policy. It claimed capping inheritance tax reliefs will not have:- "any significant macroeconomic impacts." The assessment argued it:- "is not expected to have a material impact on food security" and "would not be expected to impact the UK's ability to source imports from international markets."

The findings of this new survey cast doubt on these claims.

Victoria Vyvyan, CLA President, said:- "The Treasury says these reforms will barely touch rural Britain. Our polling shows they will force hard choices on farms that have sustained communities for generations:- selling their land, laying people off, shelving plans for the future. Already, families are weighing up which parts of their business they can afford to keep. Some are holding back investment; others are wondering if they can hand the farm on at all. Rural Labour MPs can see what's coming. They know it will drain the life from the countryside and strip away the trust of the people who sent them to Westminster. If they support it, their voters won't forget."

CLA Director North, Harriet Ranson, said:- "The Treasury's disastrous policy will be the final nail in the coffin for many farms and rural businesses, with 85% of members saying they, or their families, would have to sell their farms to pay this crippling tax, due to farms being asset rich, but cash poor, and 80% worrying that their business will not survive the next 10 years. Respondents voting intention if a General Election was called tomorrow had Labour on zero, with the Conservatives and Reform garnering most current support. The message to Labour is clear: you are causing catastrophic harm to farming businesses and the wider rural economy, and there will be a severe reckoning at the next General Election. The Government's case is collapsing under increasing evidence that shows these reforms are based on ideology:- rather than actual tax take and will inflict lasting damage on farms and family businesses across the North and beyond. It is also important to note that urban constituencies will also be adversely impacted due to knock-on impacts."

Meanwhile 69% of respondents said they will have to sell land or take out loans to keep the business:- with nearly half predicting they'll have to sell at least a quarter of their farm.

It also found 89% have paused or delayed investment since the budget, with 27% saying they have held back from investing over £150,000.

A separate study earlier this year, commissioned by Family Business UK and conducted by independent consultancy CBI-Economics, found that more than 200,000 jobs could be lost during this Parliament. The changes could produce a net fiscal loss of £1.9 billion for the Treasury and wipe £14.9bn from the economy in lost business activity, it concluded.

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