Tending an allotment is helping Hampshire women living with cancer to grow in confidence as well as vegetables.

The women, all of whom are being treated at hospitals run by Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for gynaecological cancers, are part of a peer support group based at an allotment.

They visit the allotment weekly to grow vegetables and talk to each other. One patient called it “my sanctuary during treatment. I could just be me, lose myself in nature and chat with the other ladies without any worries, with people who understood.”

Another patient said: “Going to the allotment has allowed me to meet exceptional ladies. They may not be aware of it, but they exude strength, joy, and positivity. They have inspired me to be stronger, that when life throws not just lemons but the entire fruit basket at me, I make sure I can make the best fruit salad in town.”

The group is led by Cassandra Atkinson, gynae-oncology cancer support worker at Hampshire Hospitals. When she was appointed in 2020, she established a virtual focus group to understand the women’s needs. It was during the height of the Covid pandemic, when indoor gatherings were limited, that the idea of an allotment took root.

In 2021, the group secured a plot in Stanmore, Winchester. Covid needed to pass before patients felt confident enough to get involved, but gradually women began to join, tend, plant and harvest together.

Cassandra added: “Over time, the allotment became a space not only to grow vegetables but to rebuild confidence. There have been many patients come and go, and it has been a wonderful tool for them to build their confidence post-treatment, to return to their usual activities, including work.

“The women who attend now have been weekly members for well over a year.”