Community Action Network (CAN) are celebrating the work of their latest Community Hero.

They are spotlighting Your Planet Doctors – responsible for helping the planet and supporting people improve their mental health.

This highlights the work of retired GP Anne Hayden MBE from Dorset, who founded Your Planet Doctors in 2020,with an aim "to reduce people’s stress and anxiety through communities coming together to become sustainable, self-sufficient, and able to look after each other. "

This inspirational local organisation works with communities to organically grow fruit, vegetables, and trees in small neighbourhood hubs of five to seven people, whilst improving wellbeing and providing opportunities to learn ‘no-dig’ growing skills, ways of revitalising soil and how to bring back the birds, butterflies, and bees into gardens helping to repair badly damaged ecosystems and reducing carbon emissions.

Anne said: "‘During lockdown I recognised a unique opportunity to set my plan into motion, with so many communities looking to spend more time outside giving them the opportunity to learn to grow fruit and vegetables gave many people enormous pleasure and satisfaction."

Anne set up several Facebook groups including BCP Facebook Growers Group, inviting residents to join who had an interest in food growing, but were unsure where to start - even if it’s simply growing from yoghurt pots on their windowsill.

She added:"The group supports both the education and fun aspect of growing, by utilising their fantastic specialist Plant Doctors to solve member’s often tricky dilemmas and effectively restore dampened enthusiasm and loss of confidence with quizzes, online seed swapping facilities and growing calendars to show what and when to plant and much more.’

Emma part of the BCP Facebook Growers group told CAN: "I had no idea where to start but wanted to grow some food, this group has given me confidence, I feel less alone and I can eat the results!"

If you would like to join the BCP Growers group and  become part of this wonderful project visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bcpgrowers/. Or see yourplanetdoctors.org for more general information.

Your Planet Doctors state they are:"A group of like-minded people who are passionate about protecting the health of our planet. We bring together individuals and groups to build sustainable, self-sufficient caring and resilient communities to improve mental health and help repair our world."