Sheffield charity forced to turn people away due to lack of funding

SAGE Sheffield has been using gardening as a form of therapy to help individuals realise their potential while improving physical and mental well-being since 2006.

When funding from The National Lottery’s Reaching Communities Fund ended at the end of 2019, this resulted in a need to change the charity’s service model.

Richard Dolman, Chair of Trustees, said: “We are working hard to enable SAGE to continue our track record for delivering a high-quality service, whilst also maintaining the potential for future expansion where funding allows”.

SAGE, which stands for Support Arts Gardening Education, was set up in 1999 after a high incidence of mental health problems and a low uptake of the available services in Pitsmoor, following research commissioned by Pitsmoor surgery.

The aim was to provide a focused and professional service to those patients that the NHS could not reach, but that was also non-clinical and non-threatening.

Until additional funding can be secured, the charity will have to continue radically reducing its services and the number of people it supports.

The Burngreave based charity has helped many people manage their mental health over the years, through activities such as gardening and singing groups, and was the winner of a national award in 2016.

For more information, see: www.sagesheffield.org.uk/