History

Bridewell's history goes back to 1993. The first seeds of a therapeutic gardening project were sown when a group of interested people came together to plan a response to a perceived need among people living in West Oxfordshire who were suffering with mental illness.

Originally set up with the name 'Groundwork', after six months the infant project received a small grant from Social Services for the purchase of equipment, followed by a further grant in April 1994. This was sufficient to enable the project to employ its first manager, Paul Tomlin, who was also a co-founder of the organisation. For a small fee, Oxfordshire MIND provided the administration for the project.

We were now 'in business' and attention was turned in earnest to the major task of securing a suitable site if the project wasn't to be based on the organic window-box system. After being led up a number of garden paths, we eventually discovered the Walled Garden at Wilcote, which the Hon. Mr & Mrs Charles Cecil generously allowed us to use.

When we finally moved in at the end of July 1994, the real work started. Old fencing had to be cleared, sheds emptied, grass cut, rubbish burned, new sheds and greenhouses erected and tonnes of soil were moved from 'A' to 'B' - and sometimes back to 'A' again! - until it felt like home. A team from West Oxfordshire Training Services help to repair the walls and helped to make the rest room habitable.

As with many small charities, funding the project has been something of a roller coaster with the crisis of closure looming more than once. However in 2003 we secured a three-year contract for the provision of therapeutic services with Oxfordshire Social Services. This contract means that we are now able to focus our energies on developing more services for the future and extending our client base.

The European grant from Leader+ for our blacksmith position is a prime example of this.