Forest Farm Peace Garden

What Forest Farm Peace Garden does

Forest Farm Peace Garden is a UK-registered charity and Community Interest Company founded in 2004, operating a two-acre therapeutic garden within the Forest Farm Allotments site in Hainault, north-east London. Its primary product is a free, one-year ecotherapy programme delivering nature-based therapeutic activities — gardening, food growing, fruit orchard care, herbal processing, wildlife management, mindfulness, woodwork, and arts and crafts — to adults experiencing mild to moderate mental health needs, as well as adults with mild learning disabilities or autism and refugees and asylum seekers. Sessions run on Wednesdays and Fridays in morning and afternoon slots, delivered by approximately three paid staff and supported by 25+ buddy volunteers and 50+ supported volunteers annually. The garden holds 90+ fruit tree varieties, a polytunnel, herb spiral, sensory and forest gardens, and an apiary, and serves as a community growing site for Herbalists Without Borders.

The organisation holds the Code of Practice quality mark for Social and Therapeutic Horticulture from Social Farms and Gardens and operates with formal safeguarding, GDPR, and Modern Slavery Act compliance. Its go-to-market is community- and referral-led: participants enter via NHS mental health services, GPs, social prescribing link workers, and voluntary sector organisations, while awareness is built through a monthly newsletter, Eventbrite-listed community workshops (£6–£25 sliding scale), foraging and craft events, a blog, and corporate team-building activity days (e.g., Salesforce). The customer base spans individual service users, community workshop attendees, corporate CSR buyers, and institutional funders.

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of individual and corporate donations (JustGiving with Gift Aid), modest workshop and event ticket fees, corporate activity day bookings, and institutional grants from City Bridge Trust, NCEL, and Redbridge Local Lottery. The charity is governed by a Board of Trustees and is currently recruiting a new Director. No proprietary technology, digital platform, mobile app, or AI/ML capability is disclosed. Geographic scope is regional (Greater London), and all operations are anchored to the single Hainault site.

Name

Forest Farm Peace Garden

Legal name

Forest Farm Peace Garden

Website

https://forestfarmpeacegarden.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Forest Farm Peace Garden is a London-based charity operating a two-acre therapeutic garden in Hainault, delivering free one-year ecotherapy for adults with mental health needs, learning disabilities, and refugees, funded by grants, donations, and community workshops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Ecotherapy Services

NAICS

Landscaping Services (561730)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Adventure Therapy & Therapeutic Wilderness Programs (THAAAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Native, Pollinator & Drought-Tolerant Garden Installations (HSAIAFAL), Pruning, Deadheading & Plant Health Maintenance (Non-tree) (HSAIAFAI)

Keywords

• Ecotherapy services
• Therapeutic horticulture
• Nature-based therapy
• Mental health support
• Community garden programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations: One-off, regular, or corporate donations from individuals and organisations supporting the charity's work. Gift Aid option available for UK taxpayers.
2. Workshop and Event Fees: Some workshops and events charge ticket fees (e.g., foraging talks at £25, summer pruning workshops at £12, scary plants at £15) with sliding scale/pay-what-you-can options. Many events are free with donations appreciated.
3. Corporate Activity Days: Corporate groups pay for team activity days to support the charity's environmental work, helping with garden maintenance and site improvements.
4. Fundraising and Grants: Funding from institutional funders including NCEL, City Bridge Trust, and Redbridge Local Lottery who believe in the organisation's vision.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Forest Farm Peace Garden delivers a one-year ecotherapy programme providing nature-based therapeutic activities for people with mild to moderate mental health needs, including gardening, food growing, fruit orchard care, herbal processing, wildlife activities, mindfulness, woodwork, and arts and crafts. The charity also runs community workshops, corporate team activity days, and structured volunteering programmes, all delivered at its two-acre therapeutic garden site in Hainault, London.

Product overview

Forest Farm Peace Garden is a charitable organisation offering a single integrated programme of ecotherapy and nature-based activities. The core offering is an Ecotherapy Programme for people with mental health needs, supported by Community Workshops open to the general public, Corporate Activity Days, Community Volunteering opportunities, a Buddy Volunteer Programme, and Referral Services from healthcare providers. All services are centred around the two-acre garden site in Hainault, London, providing therapeutic horticulture, food growing, wildlife habitat management, and educational workshops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants report improved mood, reduced anxiety, better social connection, increased physical activity, and healthier eating habits
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vision Redbridge Culture & LeisurecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVision Redbridge manage the Forest Farm allotments where the garden is situated. The partnership involves working together to improve the local environment and community links. FFPG is situated within the allotment site managed by Vision RCL.
• Permablitz LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPermablitz runs design and makeover days with large teams of volunteers to help renovate or develop new areas of the large garden. Volunteer days are open to all to attend.
• Herbalists Without BorderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFFPG is a community growing site for Herbalists Without Borders who make medicines in response to the refugee crisis in Europe. The garden grows medicinal plants for the organisation's preparations.
• Transition IlfordminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA local community group that promotes solutions related to environmental sustainability. FFPG collaborates on community initiatives.
• NHS Mental Health ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNHS/voluntary mental health services refer clients to the ecotherapy programme. This is a key referral pathway for supported volunteers.
• GPs and Social PrescriberscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGPs and Social Prescribing Link Workers refer patients to the ecotherapy programme as an alternative or complementary intervention for mental health needs.
• Social Farms and GardenscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational membership organisation providing the Code of Practice quality mark for Social and Therapeutic Horticulture, setting standards for the sector.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mind (UK): Largest UK mental health charity; comparable on the mental health support mission and NHS-aligned referral relationship, although it operates across advocacy and information rather than as a single-site therapeutic programme.

Others

• Permablitz London: London permaculture volunteer network that FFPG partners with for design and makeover days; comparable on permaculture ethos, volunteer mobilisation, and London geographic focus but does not deliver ecotherapy.
• Social Farms & Gardens: UK membership body that awarded FFPG its Code of Practice quality mark; comparable as the national membership and standards body that FFPG operates under, with overlapping provider network.
• MindFood (Mind / Sustain): Network of mental-health-focused food growing and gardening projects in the UK; comparable in combining gardening with mental health support and in the non-profit, volunteer-supported delivery model.

Direct peers

• Growing Well: Cumbria-based mental health charity running organic horticultural therapy at working market gardens; comparable in using paid produce and structured activity days to support recovery, similar volunteer-supported staffing model.
• Thrive (UK): UK charity that uses gardening and horticulture to support people with disabilities and mental ill-health; directly comparable as a therapeutic horticulture provider with multiple UK sites, similar safeguarding frameworks, and NHS-aligned referral pathways.

Regional players

• Trellis (Scotland): Scottish therapeutic gardening network supporting similar community garden projects for mental health and wellbeing; comparable mission and beneficiary profile but UK-Scotland rather than England regional.

Emerging players

• NHS Forest: Initiative connecting healthcare and greenspace for wellbeing, with a similar social prescribing angle; comparable on the NHS-natural environment linkage but operates as a national programme rather than a single site.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/forestfarmgardn
• Facebookfacebook.com/ForestFarmPeaceGarden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forest-farm-peace-garden

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forest Farm Peace Garden