Scots veterans whose “invisible wounds” leave them unable to adapt to civilian life will find hope and support in Dundee.
A garden project in the heart of the city will combine a tranquil haven with psychological support for the large population of former servicemen and women living on the east coast.
The site of a disused bowling green in the city’s Dudhope Park is being transformed into a working horticultural therapy garden by the charity Gardening Leave.
It has now begun creating raised vegetable, herb and flower beds as part of a project that aims to salve the troubled minds of veterans whose service has taken its toll, both physically and mentally.
The project will open in the summer and will be led by former army captain and mental health nurse Astrid Willis, pictured.
Astrid, 37, trained as a nurse before joining Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps for three years, with whom she was deployed to Afghanistan.
She has since spent time working in mental health for the NHS and will be supported at Gardening Leave Dundee by community psychiatric nurse Sharon Martin.
“I’m really looking forward to getting the Gardening Leave horticultural therapy project up and running in Dundee,” Astrid said.
“Veterans who suffer the invisible wounds of conflict will be able to grow and tend vegetables, as a first step on their journey to good health and a successful transition to civilian life.”
When open, the facility will be twinned with a veterans’ horticultural therapy charity garden in the US state of North Carolina.
It will have the feel of a traditional kitchen garden and will boast a communal seating area, kitchen, office and quiet area, with produce destined for local community activities.
Dundee councillor Craig Melville said: “We’re pleased this disused area will now be put to such a good use and look forward to seeing the garden officially launched later this summer.
“The environment department is also delighted to be able to provide the new fencing for the site that is be erected over the coming weeks,” he said.