Grow with us and help boost your mental health! Free flower seeds for customers

Our free flower seed giveaway has closed.

Free flower seeds are up for grabs this week for you to grow at home, connect with nature and give your mental health a boost!

The giveaway is part of our work to mark Mental Health Awareness Week 10-16 May – an opportunity for us all to focus on achieving good mental health. This year’s theme is ‘nature’ and its powerful mental health benefits.

You can plant the seeds in your garden or balcony this month and with a bit of TLC, you will see colourful blooms later in the summer.

Claiming your free seeds is easy. All you have to do is complete the form below with your name, home address, telephone number and email address.

The giveaway is open to FCHO customers only so please only enter if you live in one of our properties.

We’re also offering free flower seeds to our team here at FCHO to help spread some happiness.

This fantastic giveaway idea was suggested by our colleague and Wellbeing Champion, Becky Braid, who wanted to help lift customers’ and colleagues’ spirits this summer. Our brilliant Wellbeing Champions are members of FCHO staff who have been trained to spot the symptoms of mental health or wellbeing issues among their colleagues and be a source of support for those who need it.

Becky said: “The benefits of gardening go much further than your outdoor space. Plants and flowers not only look terrific, but looking after them is good for the soul and great exercise. Claim your free seeds and see what they can do for you.”

Emma Davison, FCHO Chief Operations Officer said: “Nature is something for everyone to enjoy and we want to inspire our customers to feel the mental health benefits of connecting with it. The pandemic and other pressures have made the last year tough for many of us and with this project we want to spread some positivity so get involved!”

We’d love to see your pictures and videos and hear your stories about how you get on growing your flowers, so do share them with us. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or you can email pics to us at communications@fcho.co.uk.

More ways to connect with nature during Mental Health Awareness Week

• Experience nature: take time to recognise and grow your connection with nature during the week. Take a moment to notice and celebrate nature in your daily life. You might be surprised by what you notice!
• Share nature: Take a photo, video or sound recording and share the connections you’ve made during the week, to inspire others. Join the discussion on how you’re connecting with nature by using the hashtags #ConnectWithNature #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek
• Talk about nature: use the tips on the Mental Health Foundation’s website to talk to friends and family about the benefits of nature for good mental health.

For more information about this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week visit mentalhealth.org.uk/mhaw or join the conversation on social media using #ConnectWithNature and #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek