A group of seven guests of the 999 Club travelled across town to take part in a multi-sensory community workshop at Kew Gardens earlier this month.
During the interactive session in the gardens’ recently-renovated Temperate House, the new horticulture students learned about plant names and species, how to find and identify their names and families and to work out where in the world they were from.
They had the opportunity to see a pressed specimen of the white Madagascan Periwinkle, which is the source of the drugs vincristine and vinblastine used to treat cancer, as part of Kew’s commitment to conservation and protection of endangered species.
They also studied the life of the Victorian botanic artist Marianne North, who had a gallery at Kew built to hold her collection of detailed paintings of plants, trees and flowers from around the world.
Kevin was one of those who participated in the workshop and tour.
He said: “I thoroughly enjoyed it – it was mentally relaxing, it took the stress away.
“I really enjoyed going to where the pictures were, that was really interesting – breath-taking, actually.
“Where I am living now, I am a bit isolated. I was given the chance to join this group and so I took it, because I thought it would be a chance to meet people.
“I would recommend it to anyone.”
The practical but fun workshop is one of a series run by Kew Gardens as part of its community membership scheme, designed specifically for people facing social, physical, sensory or psychological barriers.