Grove Garden
Fun, wellbeing, good vibes and friendship
Your safe and friendly space where you will always be welcomed with a smile in the centre of Haywards Heath.
Welcome
Take a moment to watch our short film - which gives you a snapshot of why people love Grove Garden.
Our wonderful volunteers will give you a very warm welcome.
TUESDAY TO SATURDAY
TUESDAY: 12.00 – 2.30pm
WEDNESDAY: 12.00-2.30pm
THURSDAY: 12.00 – 2.30pm
FRIDAY: 2.30-5.00pm
SATURDAY: 9.00 – 12.30pm
Come along - we would love to see you FRIENDSHIP
Enjoy: Gardening, Tai Chi, Laughter Yoga, Pilates, Nature Watch sessions, Art classes, board games: Scrabble, Chess, Dominoes. Singing, Chatting - Chilling and more. Workshops, talks and special guests too.
Some of our weekly activities. Come early to chat and stay behind for drinks and time together. Donations of £2 per sessions or a little more if you’d like to.
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Laughter Yoga - Thursdays 1pm.
No Exercises - just breathing and laughing :) No need for jokes or comedy. It includes, easy stretches, breathing practices and Laughter techniques. It’s simple and fun..
Suitable for all ages and fitness levels.
It helps you live more joyfully and be more able to cope with whatever stresses life may bring.
When we laugh, we release endorphins -the feel-good hormones that uplift our moods, help to combat stress and boosts our immune systems.
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Thai Chi with Ruth - Wednesday 1pm
Tai chi is wonderful for the mind and body. Suitable for everyone. You can even do it sitting down. A gentle, low-impact exercise with roots in Chinese martial arts, often described as "meditation in motion".
It involves a series of slow, flowing movements combined with deep, rhythmic breathing. Tai chi is wonderful for your wellbeing. Including improved balance, flexibility, and stress reduction. Including improved balance and flexibility, better sleep, and potential benefits for your heart health too.
Perfect for people of all ages and fitness levels.
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Art Classes with Mike - Tuesdays 1pm
These are classes are an opportunity for you to come and create your own work of art, with Mike on hand to give support and guidance.
You might be trying art for the first time or already have a passion for sketching or watercolours for example.
Just come along. If you could like to paint - do bring some paint and brushes with you.
UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
JULY 1, 8 and 10: WELLBEING COACHING
3 x 1 hour group sessions with somatic coach Jonathan Joo Thompton
SESSION 1: Tuesday 1 July,
1-2pm
Learn somatic centering that you can use throughout your day. Participate in an interactive exercise to find a sense of inner aliveness
SESSION 2: Tuesday 8 July
1-2pm
Learn how to deal with situations that create stress, and how to generate more possibilities for responding to difficult situation.
SESSION 3: Thursday 10 July
1-2pm
Learn how to generate wellbeing from the inside out.
Somatic coaching helps you create change and wellbeing in any area of your life. Taking a ‘somatic’ (whole -person) approach, focusing on the mind-body connection and on practical tools and exercises to promote your wellbeing
WHAT IS SOMATIC COACHING?
JULY 15TH: REDISCOVER YOUR INNER CHILD WITH MUSIC BUS
1-2pm
Music Bus usually caters for children under 5. However, knowing how much joy this traditional children’s music bings. The singing and a bit of dancing which is so good for mental health , Maggie would like to share these benefits with the Grove Garden community. So come along and sing along with us.
✅ percussion
✅ parachute play - for those who would like to
✅ music and movements
✅ songs you’ll love to remember
You’ll leave the session with a song in your head and a smile on your face ❤️
Suitable for anyone. No fitness level required. Just a love of music.
Just come along to the garden on the day. Arrive a little early and have a cuppa too.
Maggie
“You’ll leave the session with a song in your head and a smile on your face ❤️”
Become a Friend of Grove Garden & Join the ‘Grovers’
Be part of our wonderful volunteer and friendship community. Get discounts on plants and free drinks too.
Coming soon: Free ID card - Quarterly Newsletter. One free hot drink per visit. One free alcoholic drink at GG events. 25% off food and cakes & 25% off plants!
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 …. We even have a plant shop too.
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.
