A green haven from everyday stress
Liveaboard boater and blogger Annabelle Padwick is the founder of Life at No.27 – aimed at promoting physical and mental well-being through gardening and growing your own. A professional gardener, therapist and children’s author, she has also become a reg
RUNNING through my grandparents’ garden, being at the family allotment and highly critical potato testing are all great childhood memories for me.
My nan and grandad adored gardening, having a brilliant garden for us little ones with so many tiny paths and places, perfect for hide and seek. I loved it and there were so many features that I would love to recreate one day when I have a traditional house and garden.
But for now, containers galore on the towpath alongside our narrowboat make my heart, soul and fingers happy.
Critical potato testing? Yes, as a child I used to have a potato chart that was stuck on the kitchen cupboard. Every time we tried a new potato variety, it took its place on the chart. But, not before being tasted and scrutinised. Categories included texture, taste, best cooking methods and an overall score out of 10.
Between now and then, my desire for gardening was lost somewhere between climbing trees, hanging around in parks, rollerblading, too much chatting to boys, school and then work life. But my, some might say, unusual passion for potatoes stayed and is stronger than ever. If I could grow only one vegetable for the rest of my life it would be potatoes for sure. Not for the taste, but for the fun of the treasure hunt! What would your one vegetable be?
It took me until I was 26 to find gardening again, but when I did, it was instant head over heels attraction, especially for growing my own food! Who knew that buying a strawberry plant could be a catalyst for the upcoming change I could never have imagined?
Within a few days, my little strawberry plant in its hanging basket expanded to more than 15 large containers, full of compost and vegetable seeds or plug plants. As soon as those inconspicuous seeds germinated and showed me new life, I was excited about the future. They gave me hope, a new focus and a belief that I could grow something delicious or at least edible.
Childhood struggles
Through my childhood and up until this point, I struggled mentally. Never fitting in, not sure how to make friends, full of anxiety, lacking in confidence, spending time with negative people and constantly feeling like I needed to be someone else, better or prettier to be fully accepted.
The seeds were the future and the more they grew, the more I did. I started to believe in and accept myself, wondering what else I could achieve if I applied the same dedication that I gave my seedlings. Within a few weeks, I decided that I needed more space! So, a few months later, No.27 allotment became mine. A giant, overgrown space for both me and endless veg to grow!
It was a daunting sight, especially when I had no real or recent gardening skills, other than growing some vegetables in containers. The weeds were endless and I didn’t know what any of them were called, except for the grass and nettles. Within a few hours of arriving at the plot, I was verbally judged for my gender, age, lack of skills and the fact that I was going to be juggling allotment life with a full-time job and studying for a degree.
I wanted this to change, especially as this was negatively impacting on my mental health further. So, I launched a blog called Life at No.27, a space online where I could share my allotment and mental health adventures, as a female in her 20s with no experience. I wanted it to become a blog that might help other young people and remove the ‘allotmenteer’ stereotype.
As the journey continued both on and off the plot, No.27 became a place that was all mine, which I could transform and have total control over, crucial for mental health recovery. It was also a haven away from work, university and toxic relationship stresses.
Calm among the crops
Having the allotment alongside, eventually, a year of 1-2-1 psychotherapy, worked wonders for my mental health. The allotment taught me patience, it enabled me to have both giant successes and little failures in a safe place, and it gave me my confidence back. The psychotherapy enabled me to deal with dark times and it gave me a safe place to talk more openly without feeling judged. This is why I feel that, combined, they are the perfect partnership. They may not be for everyone, but for many people in need like I was, they are very therapeutic.
As I got better and the allotment produced endless delicious crops, I decided I wanted to do more. I wanted to help others like me. So, I started speaking at well-known gardening shows, graduated at university, gave up my job, home and the allotment, then moved on to the narrowboat and made Life at No.27 a social enterprise in 2019.
In the last year, I have attended lots of training courses, designed a series of gardening and well-being therapy programmes and now deliver them to support others like me who struggle with low confidence, isolation and early mental health illness, supporting young people within schools and home settings and creating the first Life at No.27 therapy site for adults in Towcester, Northamptonshire.
The difference in some individuals has been amazing, with quotes including:
“It’s been great! It’s really boosted my confidence.”
“I really enjoyed the programme and I recommend it to anyone else as it’s really fun and a good opportunity to make cool things and meet new people.”
“It has helped me come out of my shell and have more confidence. I have made a new friend and it has helped me deal with my feelings.”