A Garden in Hastings: a documentary about Glenn Veness’ incredible garden

Photos by JJ Waller

Glenn Veness and his wife, Kathy, are a couple on a mission. A mission to create peace, love and happiness amidst a suburban council estate in Hollington. 

I was buzzing earlier this year when I popped my Glennstonbury Festival cherry. Everyone is welcome to Glenn and Kathy’s garden and their festivals, held on the same weekend as Glastonbury, they are legendary. With local musicians and performers from all over the world, it was one of those evenings where people came together to bring an atmosphere of love, laughter, singing and dancing. Everyone in that place was a friend, whether you knew them or not.

As you walk down the side of this unassuming semi-detached, all appears normal, but then you emerge and find yourself within a kind of Narnia: a magical wonderland filled with colourful flowers, greenery, wooden pathways, steps and decks and more festoon and fairy lights than you would ever think possible. There’s a stage and seating for large audiences, a cocktail bar and smaller wooden structures for intimate chats. There are places for local wildlife and places for the local community. There are plots to grow vegetables, places to sleep and places to just sit and think. But it wasn’t always like this.

In 2008, Glenn and Kathy experienced the heartbreaking loss of their son, Luke, to suicide. For many years, Glenn was in limbo, a deep, dark state, unable to think, to work, to move, frozen to the spot in grief. Then, one morning, at 4am he got out of bed and decided to tackle the overgrown garden in memory of his son. Ever since then, Glenn describes their garden as an ‘obsession’. Every waking hour he is making and fixing in the garden, making it even bigger and more bountiful than the last time. 

Hastings Men’s Group, hosted by Chris Richards, holds monthly sessions in the garden, nicknamed ‘The Fire Circle’. One recent survey by The Priory found that 40% of men have never spoken about their mental health to anyone, but this is a safe space where they can sit around a fire and talk about their feelings and any issues they may be going through. Tragically, suicide is Britain’s biggest killer of men under 50 but these awful statistics can change. Gone are the days of ‘manning up’ and I think that even we uptight Brits can see the benefits of talking, sharing and listening.

A Garden in Hastings is a documentary film in the making. It is directed by Steve Furst, shot by Rhys James and produced by Dan Matthews. They aim to ‘explore themes such as grief, trauma and recovery, in a way that is true to the complex, curious and inspiring nature of Glenn’s wild garden and the people who inhabit it. Working with their charity partner, BEDER, who specialise in raising awareness of suicide prevention, their mission is to shine a positive light on people like Glenn who are trying to break the cycle, and promote a new culture of openness and shared emotions amongst men’. 

Steve Furst has been coming to Glenn’s garden for over twenty years and had the initial idea for the documentary. I sat and chatted with Steve and Rhys in Glenn’s garden as the sun started to go down to the sound of birdsong, laughter, chattering, and musicians fine-tuning their instruments. I asked Steve how the project began “We came and interviewed Glenn one day last year and Rhys was incredibly taken by the story and with Glenn as a character, and Glenn totally took to Rhys. He knew that his story was in sympathetic hands. Luke’s story is intertwined with it all and I think if a stranger did it, it wouldn’t be the same. It became apparent that The Fire Circle needed to be the focus of the film. It’s very much about the juxtaposition of the group in nature, in the garden and because of Luke’s death, it is very important that men do talk. Glenn has said himself that if it was easier for Luke to talk, you never know how history could have been rewritten. That’s such a painful thought”.

Rhys continued “and Glenn says that ‘you can’t change the world but you can change your community’ and this is the embodiment of that. He and Kath have found a way to process their own trauma and journey and have managed to find a way to use that to create a really positive outcome that supports all sorts of men.”

Glenn says that ‘you can’t change the world but you can change your community’ and this is the embodiment of that. He and Kath have found a way to process their own trauma and journey and have managed to find a way to use that to create a really positive outcome helping all sorts of men.

“We’ve been very taken with the younger guys in the group. It’s even more heartbreaking when it’s a 20 or 25-year-old who’s been struggling their whole life but through the work that the group does, there’s change and it’s amazing to see the difference that only a few months can make”, Steve tells me.

Rhys says about the documentary “We have lofty ambitions and the subject matter warrants it. We’ve been filming for six months on and off and there are so many stories that this garden and the men’s groups cultivate. What is most difficult, is doing the garden justice and capturing just how magnificent it is.”

Recently, I went back to speak with Glenn and Kathy. That morning Glenn had been posing before Raphael Neal for his front cover at Hastings Museum and Art Gallery. I said I’d give him a lift home and before getting into my car, Glenn filled it with leaves and branches and stuffed crows. “We can just drop these off at my house” he declared cheerfully.

After feeding me with bread, cheese, salad and Glenn’s super hot home-made kimchi, Kathy invited me into the garden for a chat. The warmth that these two people and their garden bring, invites and encourages you to open up. It’s like a magical magnet that pulls you in, and within minutes I was telling Kath all about my recent difficult time, shedding a tear and being hugged and cuddled, all while Glenn was spark out on the sofa in the adjacent room. “Looks like hard work being a model!”  I told him when he came round.

A still from the documentary: A Garden in Hastings

Glenn couldn’t wait to show us a new bit of the garden he had been working on. As he led us down the garden path, he pointed out signs that signwriter, Rob Finn had painted, along with artwork and sculptures that had been donated by various artists. He attempted to pronounce ‘Orangerie’ correctly (and failed) and ensured that we followed all of the ‘diverted traffic’ signs as we meandered our way to the vegetable patch where caterpillars had feasted through his entire crop of cabbages. 

“I don’t mind though you see” he shrugged, “this is what it’s for… the caterpillars! Let’s see if I’ve got any peas left…”

“Seriously look at this,” he says as he leads us into some woodland “This will all be cleared and we’ll have a path and it’ll become a proper woodland garden. When you come down here in the morning there’s butterflies and birds, and squirrels running around. It’s unbelievable!”

Glenn finishes his tour by showing us the main ‘Crocodile Stage’ and letting us hear the full extent of his powerful sound system with tunes by Sade, Marvin Gaye and ‘I Love to Boogie’ by T Rex which resulted in Glenn and his wife dancing together.

Glenn and Kath Veness, their garden, their festivals, and their warmth and kindness are living proof of the importance of community spirit. They have somehow found the strength and courage to use their trauma and their garden to shine a light on men’s mental health and, who knows, because of this incredible garden on an estate in Hastings, tomorrow may be a brighter day for someone.

Steve, Rhys and Dan have raised over £8,000 to make their film but they’re still seeking more funding to make it as big and as brave as it can be. Please donate to their crowdfunder here if you are able to assist in making this powerful and necessary film.

For more information about the Hastings Men’s Network visit their Facebook page or contact Chris Richards by email chris@chrisrichards.me or phone 07816 457650.