Case Study - Keder Greenhouse Working with Go Flourish Charity
Keder Greenhouse, a UK-based manufacturer of durable and energy-efficient greenhouses, has been instrumental in supporting the initiatives of the Go Flourish charity in Scotland.

Founded by Jane-Julia (JJ) Gladwin in 2023, Go Flourish aims to integrate high-quality teaching gardens into school curricula to reconnect children with nature, thereby enhancing their mental health, educational achievements, and future employment opportunities.

In October 2024, Go Flourish launched a pilot project at North Kessock Primary School, establishing an outdoor learning garden with a Keder Smallholder Greenhouse. The project was inaugurated by Raoul Curtis-Machin, Director of Horticulture at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, aims to integrate therapeutic horticulture and outdoor learning into the school's curriculum. Fully qualified teacher Laura Dorantt leads timetabled classes, fostering community engagement and promoting educational and health benefits.

Researchers from the University of St Andrews' School of Psychology and Neuroscience are conducting a three-year study to assess the gardening program's impact on children's well-being. The findings will provide data to inform local education authorities and the Scottish Government on the benefits of incorporating such gardens into school communities. To read more on this please visit Highland.gov

Keder Greenhouse's collaboration with Go Flourish charity exemplifies how tailored greenhouse solutions can support educational and community initiatives, fostering sustainable practices and enhancing well-being across Scotland.

JJ Gladwin, Founder and Trustee commented “We want all aspects of the design and installation of our school gardens to be of the highest and safest quality. The decision to put a Keder Greenhouse into our first Go Flourish Garden demonstrates our commitment to these values.

The Go Flourish initiative aims to integrate curriculum learning with environmental stewardship, fostering in children that everything has a relationship with everything else. Children will grow up realising they are a part of nature, not apart from nature, and therefore understand their own responsibility towards nature.”

Electra Hatcher, General Business Director at Keder Greenhouse, commented: “Keder has worked with JJ over many years on several of her projects. With JJ’s background, her understanding of Keder systems’ uniqueness and the benefits it provides to growers was immediately apparent.

Working with a client who has such a strong belief in and knowledge of the benefits of homegrown produce and sustainability, while encouraging the next generation to understand and embrace the advantages of “homegrown,” has been a pleasure. This encompasses not just the skills learned through growing but also the positive effects of gardening on mental health. We look forward to partnering with JJ and her team on future plans.”

Keder have also been working with Flourish Founder JJ at her home Old Allangrange, which is part of the Scotland Gardens Scheme. The three-acre gardens feature 17th century ornamental gardens with a parterre in front of the house with informal planting, a lower garden, an ornamental propagation garden, a mound and orchard. The pleached hedges are made up of lime, yew, beech, box and holly.

The garden also features two Keder greenhouses, which are set up to utilise agroforestry and permaculture principles and are managed biodynamically with a no-dig technique. The greenhouses support the three-acre productive garden, contributing to the estate's self-sufficiency and serving as a model for sustainable practices.

JJ is a garden designer with a keen interest in gardening for biodiversity from the soil upwards, no chemicals have been used on site since her arrival in 1995. The wider 120 acres of now organic farmland produces malting barley, for brewing organic beer at Black Isle Brewery. More details and photos of the garden and the wider can be found at Discover Scottish Gardens

Photo credit to Big Picture Scotland

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