A pioneering Lanarkshire project's greenspaces are helping homeless people to flourish and grow
On Father’s Day, 2008, Gerry McCluskey’s 17-year-old daughter gave him the ice-cold wake-up call he needed after years of surrendering his body, his mind, his health and his future to alcohol.
That evening, the same friend took control and drove Gerry to his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.After nearly a year of sobriety, thanks to AA, Gerry went into rehab during which, he says, he learned all about “the science behind addiction”. He’d progressed from selling life insurance to becoming a highly-successful mortgage broker with a bank.
Acknowledging that his lifestyle was unsustainable, he walked into East Kilbride Police Office and declared himself homeless. “I do not know why I had such a bad impression of homeless accommodation. It was so nice and clean. I always felt secure and safe in here. Nobody can get by the front door without the permission of staff. The rules are be fair, and respect others. I found it very relaxed.”
On the morning following Gerry’s arrival, he met Yvonne McKenzie – a woman he describes as “a miracle worker, rather than a support worker”. He began chatting casually to volunteers from the Cambuslang Allotment Group, who help service users learn about the seasonal planting, the growing and nurturing of fresh produce.
He’d spend hours in the gardens, weeding, turning the soil, nurturing veg he’d then go on to cook – or even just relaxing with a book, while soaking up the healing powers of the sun, fresh air and growing crops. Over the past two years, Dr Masterton and her colleagues have established potential improvements to health and wellbeing through involvement in organised activities as diverse as walking, conservation, wild camping, landscaping, tending flowers and cultivating vegetables, among many other nature-based activities.
With high levels of drug and alcohol use in Scotland, a crisis of confidence in traditional mental health services and long waiting times for psychological therapies, the research shows that time spent in many different types of greenspace could be a way to bolster this rising demand for support, while limiting costs.
Now firmly believing he can make a positive contribution to society and the lives of other people who may have lost their way, Gerry has completed a number of courses with award-winning Lanarkshire charity LEAP, and is now equipped to begin volunteering and sharing his skills to enhance the lives of the region’s older people.
National Records of Scotland figures reveal that the number of drug-related deaths in 2023 increased by 121 compared to the previous year, representing a 12 per cent increase. Scotland continues to have the highest number of drug-related deaths in both the UK and Europe.
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