Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke Wins National Award

Cygnet Hospital Kewstoke is celebrating national recognition after winning the Outside Spaces Award at the Design in Mental Health Awards for its innovative Kewstoke Farm Project.

The award recognises the hospital’s transformation of an eight-year disused and overgrown on-site farm into a thriving therapeutic environment supporting mental health recovery, wellbeing and skill development.

Rather than approaching the project as a traditional redevelopment, the hospital worked closely with patients, staff and Experts by Experience to co-produce a space shaped by lived experience.

Service users receiving support at the 71-bed hospital on Beach Road were actively involved throughout the transformation, helping to clear land, restore growing areas, plant crops and shape how the space would function.

Today, the farm provides structured occupational therapy sessions alongside informal wellbeing opportunities, allowing patients to engage in gardening, food growing and cooking using produce cultivated on site. The first harvest, including onions, lettuce and cauliflower, marked a significant milestone for the project and for the individuals involved in bringing the farm back to life.

Hospital manager Josh Tapp explained: “The farm has become an important space for social connection, confidence building and meaningful activity, helping patients develop practical skills and rediscover a sense of purpose beyond their mental health difficulties.”

The project is also helping strengthen links between the hospital and the wider community. Plans are progressing for partnerships with local organisations and education providers, alongside opportunities to donate produce to local food banks. A purpose-built yurt has also been introduced as an additional space for wellbeing activities and group sessions.

Josh added: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this award. The Kewstoke Farm Project represents everything we believe recovery-focused care should be, collaborative, meaningful and shaped alongside the people who use our services.

“What makes this achievement particularly special is the involvement of our patients at every stage. They helped transform an unused space into somewhere that now provides therapeutic activity, social connection and opportunities to build confidence and independence.

“The farm has had a hugely positive impact on the wellbeing of the people in our care and we are excited to continue developing the project and strengthening our links with the local community.

 “Seeing the transformation, both of the land and of the individuals involved, has been incredible.”

The Design in Mental Health Awards celebrate innovation and excellence in the design of mental health environments across the UK. The winners were announced at a ceremony on Tuesday 2 June.