A Reason to Grow
Kindness grows from a little seed. A tray on a windowsill. A reason to get up in the morning. A rescued animal saying thank you.
You grow it. They enjoy it. Everybody benefits.
A Reason to Grow brings simple windowsill growing kits into care homes, supported living services, day centres and community settings across our area. Participants plant the seeds, water them, and watch fresh pea shoots appear. When the harvest is ready, we collect it and feed it to the rescued animals at the Ark — then send back photos or a short video of the animals enjoying exactly what the group grew.
It’s about far more than salad leaves. It’s something to care for, something to look forward to each morning, and the quiet pride of growing something that genuinely helps the animals at the Ark.
Plant · Nurture · Give · Connect
Who the programme is for
The programme is for anyone who’d enjoy something gentle to look after — especially older people, disabled people and anyone experiencing loneliness or reduced independence. We deliver kits through care, health and community organisations rather than to private homes, so groups can grow together and we can easily drop kits off and collect the harvest.
- Residential care homes
- Nursing homes
- Dementia care settings
- Supported living services
- Adult day centres
- Disability services
- SEN / SEND settings
- Community centres
- Rehabilitation services
- Hospices, where appropriate
- Hospital and community healthcare settings where infection-control approval allows
- Other organisations supporting people experiencing isolation or reduced independence
Why it matters
There’s something quietly powerful about being needed — even by a tray of pea shoots. Watering them, checking them each morning and watching them grow gives each day a small but genuine rhythm.
Growing gets people talking — residents, families, carers and support workers all sharing the same little project. And it doesn’t end at the windowsill: the story finishes at the Ark, with the animals tucking into what the group grew.
Studies into gardening and nature-based activities link them with better mood and quality of life. A Reason to Grow is simply a meaningful, enjoyable thing to do — never a treatment or therapy, and never a substitute for professional care.
This isn’t an activity that gets tidied away when it’s done. The harvest is real, it’s wanted, and it’s eaten with enthusiasm. Participants get to see exactly where their efforts ended up — feeding the rescued animals at the Ark.
A small activity, backed by real research
We’re careful not to overclaim: A Reason to Grow is simply a lovely thing to do, not a treatment or therapy. But researchers have studied gardening, purposeful activity and nature-based activities for years — and what they’ve found is genuinely encouraging.
How it works
1. Plant
We deliver a ready-to-grow kit with everything in the box — tray, compost, seeds and easy-read instructions. No garden, tools or experience needed.
2. Nurture
The tray lives on a windowsill. A little water each day, and the first shoots usually appear within a week — plenty to check on and chat about.
3. Give
When the greens are ready, we collect them from your setting. Every tray is grown especially for the rescued animals at Naylor’s Ark.
4. Connect
We send your group photos or a short video of the animals enjoying their harvest — the moment everyone’s been waiting for.
From a windowsill to the animals at the Ark — in about three weeks.
Why growing together works
- A daily reason to check the windowsill
- Easy conversation starters between residents and staff
- A shared project everyone can take part in
- The small excitement of watching shoots appear
- A bit of the outdoors, brought indoors
- The pride of making something genuinely useful
- A lasting link with the animals at Naylor’s Ark
Best of all, everyone knows why they’re doing it. Nothing grown goes to waste — every tray is collected by the Ark and safely fed to the animals it was grown for.
Questions & answers
The practical bits — how sponsorship works, what a kit includes, timelines, privacy, and what happens after you apply.
Every £2.50 sponsors one complete kit — tray, compost, seeds and easy-read instructions — for someone who could use a little more purpose, connection and joy in their week. That’s less than a cup of coffee, and it lasts a whole lot longer.
Choose a preset number of kits below, or enter your own amount. Sponsored kits are pooled and delivered in batches to the care and community settings we work with — they aren’t posted to individual homes. That keeps costs low, stretches every pound further, and means we can collect the harvest when it’s ready.
Payments are processed securely by Stripe. See our Terms, Refund policy and Privacy notice.
Then comes the best bit…
Once the harvest arrives back at the Ark, the animals do what they do best — demolish it with great enthusiasm. We film the moment and send a photo or short video back to the setting, so the growers can see exactly who enjoyed their hard work.
“A big thank-you from all of us at the Ark to everyone at [Care Home Name] — the animals absolutely loved the greens you grew! 💚”
They planted it. They cared for it. They watched it grow. They gave it away. And they saw exactly who it helped.
Local delivery & collection
We bring the kits to you
We deliver ready-to-grow kits to participating settings, grouped into local delivery rounds wherever we can.
Your group does the growing
Everything happens indoors on a windowsill, and shoots appear in about one to two weeks. Easy-read instructions are included.
We collect — and say thank you
We pick up the harvest from the setting (never from individuals) and send back photos or a video of the animals enjoying it.
If you work with a care home, supported-living service, day centre, disability service or similar organisation, apply below to join the programme. Funded kits depend on sponsorship and our delivery capacity, so applying doesn’t guarantee a place — but we’ll always do our best.
Delivery & collection area
We can deliver kits and collect the harvested greens free of charge to settings within 5 miles of the sanctuary (Carol Green, Berkswell). If you’re further afield you’re very welcome to take part — you’d just need to collect the kits and drop off the harvest yourself. Please let us know your preference below.
It’s amazing what a £2.50 kit can grow.
A bit of purpose. A daily talking point. A connection with the natural world — and with some very grateful rescued animals at the end of it.
A Reason to Grow
Connecting people, plants & animals. A Naylor’s Ark initiative.