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Charity 'delighted' by support after storm damage

Growing Well Two people wearing high vis jackets stand on large piles of glass Growing Well
Almost £1,000 has been donated by the public to help repair the damage to the charity's greenhouses

A charity which helps people with their mental health says it is delighted with the support it has been offered following damage caused by Storm Éowyn.

Growing Well in Egremont, Cumbria, has greenhouses where individuals and community groups can grow produce but the high winds on 24 January caused much of the glass to shatter.

An appeal for donations has already raised nearly £1,000, with local companies also promising to carry out repairs.

Site manager Hannah Wright said: "It was devastating to see the damage but we're so grateful for all those people who've stepped us to help us."

Growing Well The glass of a greenhouse is all over the ground and the end of a second greenhouse has been ripped off.Growing Well
Two of the charity's six greenhouses were badly damaged

"We came to check after the storm and it was quite a state," Ms Wright said.

"Our nursery is made up of six gigantic greenhouses and two of them had the ends ripped off them, it was a scene of total devastation.

"We did have insurance but it doesn't cover storm damage."

The charity opened in Egremont in 2023, and people who are referred by the NHS spend a day a week working in the greenhouses.

Living Well Five people, some wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets stand in front of a greenhouse. It is raining and they are all wearing waterproof clothing Living Well
Four of the six greenhouses were undamaged but the site had to closed for a clean-up operation

Including community volunteers, approximately 80 people spend time there each week.

"Even closing for a day can really hit the people we work with hard, so it was so important for us to bounce back as quickly as possible," Ms Wright said.

"We just want to thank the people from all Cumbria who have chipped in to help us get back on our feet, it's been really heartwarming."

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