South Lakes mental health charity Growing Well has a new on-site car park and access road thanks to two leading Cumbrian businesses.

Story Contracting and accountants Armstrong Watson stepped into support the charity, which was faced with having to raise more than £10,000 for a parking area and improved farm track at the site, which is leased from Low Sizergh Farm.

The new facilities at the six-acre organic fruit and veg farm were needed because the Low Sizergh Barn farm shop and café car park is under increased pressure from customers on top of the charity’s staff, visitors and a growing number of volunteers recovering from mental health problems.

Staff from Story Contracting, the Cumbria-based infrastructure company, spent last week clearing an area of rough ground, laying the 30-space car park, and upgrading 200m of farm track.

Emma Porter, construction director at Story Contracting, said: “Giving back to local communities in which we work and live has always been really important to us at Story Contracting, so when we learnt of the Growing Well initiative and the work they do around mental health, we knew we had to get involved and help out.

“I’m very proud of the way in which the team have offered their time to ensure that this project was a success. We hope it will make a real difference to those who depend on it.”

Accountants Armstrong Watson supported the project by sponsoring the cost of materials.

Stephen McCullough, business development and marketing director, said: “We were only too pleased to support them and their objectives.

“Mental health and wellbeing is at the heart of our own business and over recent years we have taken significant steps to understand these issues and most importantly look for the early signs of mental health within and around our own workplaces.”

“Armstrong Watson appreciate what the Growing Well team and the charity are offering in way of a service to those who need it. We trust our support will help make a real difference to this inspirational charity.”

Growing Well manager Mary Houston said: “We can’t thank Story Contracting and Armstrong Watson enough for backing up their workplace commitment to mental health.

“The groundwork was unavoidable and necessary for us to continue our vital work but to have gone to the public to ask for money for a new car park and path wouldn’t have been an easy ask.

“The support of these two businesses has been a gamechanger and we cannot thank them enough.”