Applications Open for Gardens and Health Projects in the Community

Applications are being sought for the NGS Elsie Wagg (Innovation) Scholarships, which promote health and wellbeing through gardens and garden visiting.

Scholarships will be awarded to five projects – led by nurses – that promote the health benefits of gardening and garden visiting among a group of people.

The Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN) and the National Garden Scheme created the scholarship as a joint initiative to show how gardens can promote physical, mental and emotional health.

Applications will be assessed during November to December, and successful projects will begin early in 2026. Project leaders will receive a year-long programme of individual and group support from the QICN, as well as funding of up to £5000 to implement their project.

The NGS Elsie Wagg (Innovation) Scholarship is open to all nurses working in any community setting including general practice and adult social care. Projects can be based in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man or Channel Islands. Further information and the online application form are on the QICN website.

The closing date for completed applications is Sunday 2nd November.

The QICN has a long track record of supporting nurses to develop their own ideas to improve the nursing of people in the community. Examples of gardens and health projects include:

• A General Practice Nurse working with colleagues and individuals to create or improve a flower/herb garden at a GP Surgery;
• A Community Learning Disability Nurse organising visits to National Garden Scheme gardens for individuals and/or groups of service users, family members and volunteers;
• A Community Mental Health Nurse working with colleagues to support service users to access gardening and garden visiting as part of therapy;
• A Care Home Nurse working with residents and families to develop a sensory garden at their home and encouraging residents to participate in the planning and to share stories and memories about plants and gardens;
• A Prison Nurse working with people in prison and colleagues to create or improve a prison fruit and vegetable garden.

ENDS

Notes

To see examples of previous projects, click here.

For an initial discussion, please contact Dr Amanda Young: amanda.young@qicn.org.uk .

Elsie Wagg MBE (1876-1949)

The scholarship is named after Elsie Wagg MBE, the QNI council member who originally had the idea to open gardens to raise funds for the charity, which led to the creation of the National Garden Scheme in 1927. In 2027, the National Garden Scheme will celebrate its 100^th anniversary.

The National Garden Scheme

The National Garden Scheme gives visitors unique, affordable access to over 3,500 exceptional private gardens and raises impressive amounts of money for nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cake.

Thanks to the generosity of garden owners, volunteers and visitors we have donated over £70 million to nursing and health charities. Founded in 1927 to support district nurses, we are now the most significant charitable funder of nursing in the UK and our beneficiaries include Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK and The Queen’s Nursing Institute.

The National Garden Scheme doesn’t just open beautiful gardens for charity – we are passionate about the physical and mental health benefits of gardens too. We fund projects which promote gardens and gardening as therapy, and in 2017, we launched our annual Gardens and Health Week to raise awareness of the topic.