A talented gardener who has helped around 150 disabled people to grow the seeds that they sow has been awarded a coveted horticultural prize.
Scott Green was recruited as a development worker a decade ago by Castlemilk-based social enterprise company, Fair Deal.
There he canvassed the opinions of people with learning disabilities who receive assistance and support through its services.
Scott has Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism spectrum disorder, which means his behaviour and thinking patterns can be rigid and repetitive, and he can find it difficulty to relate socially to others.
So, when a staff member at Fair Deal approached him five years ago and asked if he’d like to try gardening, he didn’t think it was for him.
The father-of-two told Lanarkshire Live : “Anne-Marie Docherty explained they were thinking of developing a gardening project and I was not too keen at first, to be honest.
“A small group of people from different organisations discussed the programme and what it would look like, how much it would cost and how many people we’d have on the group. I decided to give it a go.”
Lottery-funded Help Yourself Grow , which is part of Fair Deal, stepped in to get the project off the ground and Scott was among those who participated in a successful year-long pilot at the Hidden Gardens in Glasgow’s Albert Drive.
No-one was more surprised than the 34-year-old about how therapeutic gardening can be.
“Usually, I am a worrier, and this really helped me to relax,” he said. “It took my mind off things.”
In 2013, Scott became assistant trainer at the Jeely Garden in Castlemilk – and his confidence has since soared.
He’s now on track to become a full trainer for the programme and, in the past five years, he has helped to nurture the talents of no fewer than 150 students.
Now, the tremendous achievements of the dad-of-two have been recognised by the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society (The Caley), which has awarded him the prestigious Carter-Patterson Memorial medal and prize.
Earlier this month, Scott was invited to a ceremony at Saughton Park in Edinburgh where, surrounded by sunflowers, daffodils and tulips, he was presented with the award, which goes to the student of the year, by Caley president, Colin Ainsworth.
Congratulating Scott on his win, Help Yourself Grow team leader Gail Cochrane, said all at Fair Deal were "hugely proud" of Scott’s remarkable achievements.
She added: "Scott is a wonderful coach, great colleague and goes out of his way to help others. He really is an inspiration to all of our Help Yourself Grow students and has a rosy future ahead.”
Scott thanked Gail, his mentor from The Caley, Jean Gavin, and seasoned gardeners at the Jeely Garden, Gillian Flannigan and Ian Borthwick, for all their help and support.
He also thanked the band of students whose enthusiasm for his lessons give him enormous job satisfaction.
“Seeing them happy, asking questions and asking for help really excites me,” added Scott, who says that another perk of his job is being able to take home the tastiest fruits of his labour to partner Clare and daughters, Lydia, six, and Katie-Ann, two.
*The Help Yourself Grow programme is recruiting trainees for the 2022-2023 in-take.
If you, or someone you know, would like to take part in gardening or cookery, call Gail Cochrane on 0141 634 4996, email: gailcochrane@fair-deal.org
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