Your Garden Companions CIC has been launched to help people stay connected to their gardens — and each other — through qualified, compassionate gardening support and social prescription.
The newly launched Community Interest Company is offering something that combines practical help with genuine human connection. Your Garden Companions CIC, founded by two qualified horticulture practitioners, Lou Crouch and Tara Booth, provides companion gardening services to elderly and less able people across Cumbria and South West Scotland.
The service offers one-to-one home visits, group gardening sessions, and works alongside NHS social prescribing, giving GPs and Link Workers a trusted, specialist resource to refer patients to. For eligible clients, sessions can be provided free at the point of access.
For many older or less able people, a garden that was once a source of joy can become a source of anxiety — too much to manage, or simply harder to enjoy. Your Garden Companions aims to change that, offering not just practical support but the companionship, therapeutic engagement, and sense of purpose that gardening uniquely provides.
"When I was supporting my dad through his dementia diagnosis, I discovered how powerful simple things can be — sowing seeds together, taking a break for tea, sharing ideas about what to plant. It showed me how much a garden can do for someone's wellbeing and sense of connection. That experience is at the heart of everything we do."
— Lou Crouch, Director and Garden Companion
Co-founder Tara Booth echoes the sentiment. Her experience of watching her mother-in-law retain her love of the garden even through dementia, combined with the solace she found in growing things during the Covid lockdowns, convinced her that gardening as companionship could be genuinely life-changing for isolated or struggling individuals.
"Gardening became my constant during Covid — watching things grow, knowing that no matter how closed the world seemed, there was still life to live. Companionship combined with fresh air and the joy of seeing things grow is what I want to share."
— Tara Booth, Director and Garden Companion
Both directors trained in horticulture at Newton Rigg College in Cumbria, The company holds full safeguarding and privacy policies, and operates as a CIC (registered in England, No. 17184542), meaning its activities are legally directed towards community benefit.
Services at a Glance
One-to-One Companion Gardening: Regular home visits from a trained companion gardener, working with the client at their own pace — practical help, good company, and meaningful time in the garden.
Group Sessions: Small group gardening sessions providing social connection, therapeutic activity, and shared enjoyment of the outdoors.
Social Prescription: Referral pathway for GPs, Social Prescribing Link Workers, and primary care professionals. Sessions can be provided free at the point of access for eligible patients.
Your Garden Companions is now accepting referrals and enquiries from individuals, families, and healthcare professionals across Cumbria and South West Scotland.
Then select "Add to Home Screen"
