The Life at No.27 mission is to connect with, believe in and empower people; transforming lives through the power of gardening, growing our own produce and communication.
Life at No.27 was formed in 2019, built with passion at its core and designed to change lives. We understand that high levels of anxiety and a lack of confidence brought on by difficult or confusing experiences can be one of the highest hurdles to overcome. This can then begin a devastating spiral that can affect a person’s life potential on many levels. The director, Annabelle Padwick and the Life at No.27 team have a wide variety of skills, experience and qualifications relating to therapeutic approaches and working with those struggling with mental ill health, anxiety, low confidence, isolation and special educational needs.
Our long-term mission is to become a UK wide mental health organisation and leading horticultural therapy provider. Using our unique partnership of horticultural therapy and psychotherapy at bespoke therapy gardens across the UK to help change lives.
As an organisation we follow the BACP Ethical Framework, which is a best practice guide for you and I. You can read more about it here.
Ethos and approach
We are committed to providing a safe, inspiring and nurturing environment that can meet the needs of young people who are struggling in a mainstream setting and adults in day to day life. We are focused on identifying individuals whose anxiety and lack in confidence can mean they are so often overlooked.
We aim to empower people through a variety of practical, outdoor and creative activities that not only teach valuable and transferable skills, but that also have a meaningful and therapeutic value. We will foster relationships based on compassion and understand any behaviour is a form of communication of difficult thoughts and feelings. Through this we can begin to help a person have a deeper insight of themselves, which will develop and encourage emotional and social growth, whilst increasing self-awareness.
We have a culture firmly rooted in the therapeutic approach in order to provide reflection, space for growth and support for the people accessing the service, their families and our growing team.
Meeting the need
The organisation is a social enterprise which aims to meet a very real and growing need. Sadly, mental health struggles are rising in children and adults year on year. The current education system alongside the NHS has been and will be under a great deal of pressure, with limited resources to meet the needs of people who have complex needs and anxiety struggles. Often, these individuals slip through the net or end up disengaged from school and their wider network, which can have a devastating effect on their lives.