Aim

To reach more families who've experienced trauma we need to build a cosy, nurturing space to provide our nature-based therapy all year round

With 1 in 5 children now thought to have a mental health disorder, the need for Dandelion Time has never been greater. For over 20 years, Dandelion Time's pioneering therapeutic approach has had a positive impact on children beyond their childhood into their adult lives.

The need

Our new site located just outside Ashford replicates the peaceful environment of our Maidstone Hub with beautiful gardens and woodland as well as grazing fields hosting sheep, cows and sometimes even piglets. But with only a cold, damp, leaking shed, we are desperately in need of permanent building that can be used all year round.

So much more than a building

The new building will provide:

• a quiet, private space for the therapeutic team to work one to one with families
• a cosy space for some natural craft work such as weaving with sheep’s wool, leaf painting and paper making
• opportunity to tend to the community garden and grow, harvest and taste fresh fruit and vegetables
• cooking facilities to prepare healthy vegetarian meals from scratch that families can easily replicate at home.

Addressing climate action through nature-based therapy 

Environmental conservation and sustainability are central to Dandelion Time’s ethos and key to the delivery of their work with families. This will be reflected in the build at our Mid-Kent site with measures to reduce the carbon footprint including the installation of environmentally friendly radiators, use of eco-friendly paint and rainwater harvesting from the roof to use on the land.

The money raised for the build will support the delivery of our core therapeutic programme in mid Kent, helping children and their families to heal relationships, thrive and encourage them to better understand our relationship with nature.

Trained staff and volunteers will implement environmentally responsible approaches, sharing the methods with the families they support through activities like cooking healthy vegetarian meals from produce grown in the garden area. Together they will manage the land based on sustainable principles, supporting biodiversity and habitat improvement. 

Through supporting the families we work with to appreciate the healing powers of nature, we hope they will carry the principles we share with them forward so that our positive impact on the environment reaches far beyond our Mid-Kent site.

Who we are

Dandelion Time is a small nature-based charity working with the most vulnerable children affected by trauma, abuse or neglect.

What we do 

Operating from 3 rural sites across Kent, families take part in calming nature-based activities such as pottery, baking, sowing seeds, collecting chicken eggs and caring for the donkeys and other animals, strengthening family bonds and creating happy memories. 

Sustainable care for the environment is at the core of Dandelion Time’s approach to nature-based therapy. In line with our values, the new building will reflect this.

The difference we make

"You have instilled a level of confidence in our child that we haven't seen for many years . You have shown me the skills and tools needed so I can continue to work on this as she continues to heal. I have seen smiles on her face during her sessions that I was beginning to fear were lost for good.” - Parent

This project successfully funded on 26th March 2025