Grove Garden
The place to grow.
Plants, wellbeing, friendships and creativity.
Your safe and friendly space where you will always be welcomed with a smile in the centre of Haywards Heath.
GOODBYE WINTER ….WELL ALMOST..
WE ARE OPEN AGAIN TUESDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2025 AND CAN’T WAIT TO SEE ALL OUR FAMILIAR FACES AND MANY NEW ONES TOO!!
Just come along.
Our wonderful volunteers will give you a very warm welcome.
TUESDAY TO THURSDAY:
12.00 – 2.30pm
FRIDAY: 2.00 – 4.30pm
SATURDAY: 9.00 – 12.30pm
Grove Garden
We are a creative ‘Social Prescription Hub’ for over 50’s in the centre of Haywards Heath.
Designed as a safe space for socialising, open air activities, exercise, making friends, for morning coffees and afternoon teas.
Come along for some: gardening, laughter Yoga, talks. Board games like: Scrabble, Chess, Dominoes. Singing, chatting - chilling. Friendship and a very warm welcome.
FIND US:
150 yards down the pathway beside:
9 Heath Road, Haywards Heath and
500 yards up the path from the cricket pavilion in Clare Park leading to Heath Road.
Post code: RH16 3AX
ABOUT GROVE GARDEN
Grove Garden is a special space in Haywards Heath. It was bequeathed to the town by Joyce Grove. The garden was opened in 1995 with the explicit aim of providing older members of our community with a peaceful outside area to enjoy. Over the years the garden had become overgrown and inaccessible. Since then a new team of trustees and volunteers have taken on the garden and with a lot love, sweat and tears created a wonderful space with a vision of a vibrant, safe and stimulating community garden and meeting space once again. A space we intend to keep developing for the local comunity and with local help. Everything in the garden is donated from the local community and recycled.
Do come see us…..we will be delighted to see you ….
Laughter has real health benefits
Laughter Yoga was created in India by Dr. Madan Kitaria, a medical doctor, in collaboration with his wife, a Yoga teacher.
The first Laughter Yoga Club consisted of 5 people in a park in Mumbai, hundreds of thousands of people worldwide now practise Laughter for health.
" What is Laughter as Exercise " ?
Sometimes called Laughter Yoga, this is a technique of producing Laughter for its own sake without the need for jokes or comedy. A typical Laughter session includes, easy stretches, breathing practices and an assortment of intentional Laughter techniques. The exercises are simple and very pleasant to perform.
The experience is suitable for all ages and all levels of ability.
Laughing classmates tend to form caring, supportive friendships.
Participants live more joyfully and find themselves better able to cope with whatever stresses life may bring them.
Laughter Yoga™ has many benefits for your mental and physical wellbeing.
During laughter, we release endorphins which are the feel-good hormone that uplift our moods and help to combat stress. This release of hormones also boosts our immune systems. Laughter Yoga is based on the scientific evidence that our brains cannot distinguish between real and pretend laughter - so even if you don't feel like laughing, you can still reap many benefits from this session!
We are so fortunate to have the added health benefit of practising in nature, surrounded by trees and birdsong in Grove Garden.
Grove Garden is a unique space in Haywards Heath that was bequeathed to the town by Joyce Grove - pictured here:
Joyce Grove was a Head Teacher and the Founder of St. Clair’s School, (originally on the site of Clair Hall, Haywards Heath). A drama teacher, elocution teacher and philanthropist who lived and taught at Heath Road in Haywards Heath, West Sussex for the latter part of her life. One of Joyce’s more famous pupils was star of stage and screen and our patron Greta Scacchi.
The garden was opened in 1995 with the explicit aim of providing older members of our community with a peaceful outside area to enjoy. Over the years the garden had become overgrown and inaccessible but new trustees took over a few years ago with a vision of creating a vibrant, safe and stimulating community garden and meeting space once again.
As well as offering the space that Joyce Grove envisaged we hope that the garden will become a place to enjoy art, culture and wellbeing.
Regular events and activities will take place that will enable all to enjoy this secret garden and we’d love to hear from you if you have ideas that you would like to share.
Covid-19 and Storm Eunice inevitably caused delays to our plans but it is anticipated that the garden will open in the late Summer of 2023.
Grove Garden was the Mayor of Haywards Heath’s charity for 2019-2021.
To date the garden has had support from Waitrose, The Rotary Club of Haywards Heath, Cuckfield and Lindfield, Sussex Tree Surgeons, Haywards Heath Council, Beacon Fencing, East Sussex College to name but a few.
We have also received generous donations from The Whear Family, The Charlton Family, Alan & Elisabeth Robinson of Park Farm, Haywards Heath Horticultural Society and most recently we were awarded a grant from Sussex Community Partnership.
Grove Garden recently received 15 saplings from the Queens Green Canopy Organisation which have been planted in the garden to mark Her late Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
