Full of beans: green-fingered cardiac patient harvests a new lease of life from his allotment

"John Meacher is under no illusions: broad beans did not help to save his life. The surgeons who performed his triple heart bypass and the NHS staff who nursed him through his long history of cardiac problems did that. But the upbeat 76-year-old seems as sure of the reasons behind his improved quality of life as he is determined to prevent another heart attack. For that, he thanks a 70ft x 35ft plot of soil in central Southampton. He believes that the weekly session he spends tending the community vegetable patch does more for his health than any conventional rehabilitation. The pensioner is one of four volunteers behind the Active Hearts Allotment Project, a pilot scheme designed to help cardiac patients to rebuild their strength and confidence after coming out of hospital" - Times Online