Pathways’ herb box wins first prize

In June, Bexhill Council held a herb box competition for members of the local community. This was part of a campaign to encourage people to grow edible plants in their gardens.

Published: 10/09/2021

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The residents of Pathways, one of our supported housing schemes for people with mental ill health, decided to enter the competition with our staff. It was right up their street, as they already grew veg and love getting creative. They wanted to come up with something really fabulous.

Some brainstorming and a few drawings later and they had the basic outline of a train and a carriage. They got some wooden pallets and had a great time sawing and screwing bits together.

Our residents really went the extra mile by writing down recipes, to provide inspiration for people picking the herbs. They also put some Pathways cookbooks next to the box, which they had made a few years ago.

Finally, in went the herbs and handmade labels. And that’s how the Herbal Express was created.

The Mayor of Bexhill and Councillor Lynn Langlands loved the train-themed herb box so much that they gave Pathways first prize. The ceremony was held at Bexhill Neighbourhood Gardens and our residents were presented with a beautiful plaque and a winners card - they were over the moon!

The Mayor and Councillor got to see all the other veg we grow at Pathways, like potatoes, beetroots and onions. They particularly loved the community book swap in the front garden.

They were so impressed that they have asked Pathways to take part in the Rebirth of Bexhill Day. They also want our residents and staff to help other locals grow their own vegetables, to help prevent waste, reduce food poverty and build a stronger community.

"We really enjoyed making the herb box! I painted it after it was made, which I enjoyed. It was nice to meet the Mayor at Pathways and tell him about the service. He was very interested and he wanted a tour of our veg patch where we grow veg to share with our community. We were really happy to win but we did put a lot of work in, so it was well deserved", commented one of the residents.