By Casey Neill
Brightly-coloured paint is breathing new life into a once-dreary Noble Park garden.
Volunteers from Neami and Bunnings Warehouse Noble Park teamed up to spruce up the space with the paint and plants.
Peer support worker Emma Grose said Neami was a youth mental health recovery program in a residential setting.
“We support young people in their mental health,” she said.
“Studies show that if you are out in the open, in the sunshine and getting fresh air then it improves symptoms.
“It’s really important to have an outdoor space that we can.
“We run a lot of groups and meetings and have one-to-one sessions in the garden area.
“It’s totally just picked the space up.
“When things look dark and gloomy, it can make you feel dark and gloomy.
“When things look bright and fresh it can make you feel a little bit better and improve your mood.”
Ms Grose said a lot of young people from the program helped with the makeover.
“They picked the design,” she said.
“Those that weren’t there, when they got back they did a double take.
“It was really nice, we’ve had really positive feedback.”
The centre houses 10 people at any one time, and individuals can stay in the program for up to 12 months.
“Everybody at our site is really passionate about animals. We’ve recently incorporated chickens into our program,” Ms Grose said.
“It’s always a work in progress.
“We’ve got some really cool vegie gardens.
“We’ve got a couple of garages also that we’re waiting to be converted into multi-purpose rooms.”
