"A Garden In Hastings"
Our Crowdfunder is now LIVE
A film by Steve Furst shining a light on the wild garden of Glenn Veness and the men’s group who meet there.
We are raising money to help us create an inspiring documentary about overcoming grief and trauma through nature, community and communication.
74-year-old bricklayer Glenn Veness has for years, single-handedly, poured every ounce of his time and energy into his garden in an effort to keep the memory of his son Luke alive and to keep depression at bay. In doing so he has created a unique and sprawling natural haven amidst a suburban Hastings’ council estate. Over twelve months, this film will follow the garden’s ‘Men’s Group’ who meet to chat through their challenges and support one another.
Directed by celebrated actor Steve Furst, ‘A Garden in Hastings’ will be a documentary film exploring loss, mental health, recovery, friendship, based in the town of Hastings and following the development and journey of the town’s most magical and clandestine garden, which once played host to some of the most infamous parties in the town, but is now a performance space and venue to the Hastings Mens Network.
40% of men have never spoken to anyone about their mental health.
29% of those say they are "too embarrassed" to speak about it
Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under the age of 50 in the UK.
Our aim is to make a 30 - 45 minute film to be screened at festivals and pitched to potential broadcast partners and funders. In partnership with Beder, we hope the film can raise awareness of improving mens’ mental health.
We are currently in our first phase of crowd funding, hoping to raise an initial £6.5k to enable filming across the coming months.