before/media/files/c/caretech-uk/... · 2019-10-11 · blooming marvellous gardens blossom into...
TRANSCRIPT
Blooming Marvellous Gardens Blossom Into Life
Congratulations to Rowanside who is the winner of the Blooming Marvellous Competition 2019!
The judges felt that this North Region home was ‘colourful and creative’ with ‘good evidence that it involved
residents and it is very much their project’. One judge summed up the transformation of the garden and outdoor
area, stating: ‘A lot of thought and effort was taken in producing such a wonderful environment for all to enjoy.’
Home manager Nadia Whittle said: ‘I’m thrilled – it’s been ace! It took three months to finish and all of the service
users and their families got involved. It was phenomenal; there were six different sections and everyone had their
own section to work on.
The fantastic end result has attracted the attention of people in high places:
‘It looks so good that we’ve got the Mayor of Trafford coming to visit!’
Rowanside will receive £1000 to improve and maintain their home and lovely garden for residents and service users.
BEFORE
We think you’ll agree it is a most impressive renovation!
The Mallards
Four green-fingered runners up will each receive £250 and one forward thinking resident at The Mallards is already
planning the festive future of the garden.
Service user Jake said: ‘We want to get Christmas baskets and decorate them ourselves so I think the £250 will go
towards this.’
The Norfolk home was one of the worthy runners up thanks to the clear evidence of an overhaul and the strong
contribution of service users at every stage of the process.
AFTER
Jake, who was fully involved in the transformation of the outside area, continued:
‘It took two to three months and we had some guys paint the decking and sand it down because it was rotten. It was
brilliant and I fixed a planter. A day centre man named Robert made all the planters and we bought all the flowers
and a bench and arbor. We chose the arbor but not the colours – it was a joint effort with residents and staff.
My favourite thing about it was cutting the grass and also doing general maintenance on the garden now.’
Support Worker Katherine says the project has definitely ‘brought out the gardener in Jake, he has even grown a
chilli plant himself!’
Below: Jake and a fellow service user hard at work on the revamp – and loving it!
Below: The train ornament and the planter take shape….
Above: The stunning re-imagined decking area in shades of blue, purple and grey
The memorial garden was originally intended to honour manager, Duncan Gray, who sadly passed away last year.
However, as Katherine explains, it has now taken on a greater meaning:
‘It is a memorial area for our service users to sit and think about people they have loved and lost, not necessarily just
Duncan.
One resident misses his Dad a lot and so he goes and sits on the bench, looks at the stars and that helps him greatly.
Having that space for that purpose is great for them to reflect and we can say ‘Go and sit and think about your Dad’
or whoever.’
Above: The bench is the centrepiece of the memorial garden for late manager, Duncan Gray
The judging panel agreed that this outdoor space delivered for residents:
‘It is a very good end result, from dull to bright and colourful and with a good layout. Moreover, it is accessible all
year round for staff and service users.’
They were equally moved by the efforts to acknowledge Duncan: ‘It is a fitting tribute to the previous manager who
was an amazing inspiration for all at The Mallards.’
Albert House
Albert House changed things up with their video entry, which impressed everyone with its creativity and sense of
fun.
One judge believed: ‘It was a very good film evidencing all aspects of the process and what it took to create the
lovely garden for service users to enjoy. Fellow judges agreed saying: ‘The video was a great choice of medium to
showcase their achievement.’ They also noted there was ‘obvious involvement of residents’ which was an important
element of the criteria.
House Manager Vicky Larham edited the video herself and explained:
‘I didn’t want to send in photos as I didn’t think they did the garden justice, so that was the inspiration for doing
something different. By the same token, I was very inspired by the hard work and dedication of the staff team and
wanted to demonstrate that.
I was really pleased with the end result, as it was my first video ever! I worked it out myself by experimenting on the
computer with different themes and music, then put it together.’
Support Worker Beverley Thuesen was extremely happy with the finished space:
‘It’s just brilliant! It’s stimulating, it’s a happy place, and it’s their place.
The residents love it, when you see them sitting out there – they have such smiley faces and are calm. It took four to
five months from the end of April; it worked out really well and that’s exactly what we wanted.
Staff really worked hard and all of the service users were super involved. My favourite element was our new staff
member, Tony Smith, who was very motivated for this project.’
Kimberley House
Lisa Crabtree, Home Manager of Kimberley House, was excited
to win considering the huge challenge they faced.
‘The garden near enough killed me,’ she laughed.
‘I came to work wearing white and decided to tackle the
garden……I didn’t go home white!
All staff took on an area that played to their strengths – whether
that was the design part or the gardening part.
We had good weather for it and it was great to be outside and
not playing on tablets.
It was a nice change of activity to be planting flowers.’
Clients at Kimberly were encouraged to volunteer their views
on how the area should look.
‘It was important to listen to the service users’ suggestions.
One of them had the idea to use the Cambian logo, so were
using their initiative there – I wouldn’t have thought of that!’
One of the home’s clients, Samantha, took a
pivotal role in the renovation and helped dig up
the plots of land.
When quizzed on the best things about working
on the project, Sammy replied: ‘I got to pick out
different flowers and staff helped me paint the
flower beds.
I really like the Kimberley House sign and now we
have a fantastic garden where we can sit out
when it’s nice weather.
I like that there’s lots and lots of photos showing
that I helped!’
She recalled the funny moments from the
process: ‘Lisa getting her clothes dirty and having
to borrow a top from me and Lisa pulling faces
when using the spade!’
Left:
Home
Manager Lisa
and client
Samantha get
stuck into the
digging!
Right:
Samantha
smiling
through the
weeds
The judges were united in their praise for this garden, declaring that it ‘will be enjoyed by the young people for a
long time to come.’ Further to this, they felt residents made good use of the space and ensured it was ‘a pleasing
area to welcome all visitors.’
Children’s Service
The Head of the Service was delighted to be recognised. ‘I’m extremely pleased for the young people and the staff
team. They all worked very hard to achieve their vision and did an amazing job bringing it all together.’
The judges fully agreed, and hailed the careful planning done here. ‘We felt there was strategy and purpose with this
garden, from the involvement of everyone to making use of unwanted items.’ Their comments referenced the
‘brilliant use of the grounds to liven up the space and transform the garden. Very colourful!’
The manager explained their choice of flowers:
‘Flowers were picked and planted to bloom at different times of the year, which suggests the idea of impermanence
that things don’t last forever, but something new will come.’
The home believes: ‘Engaging children in planting, weeding and watering as a shared activity with the adults
encourages conversation, cultivates attachment and allows for those all-important conversations with the children
that foster healing.’
Below: A favourite feature – the old bookcase re-purposed as a flower bed and a bird feeder becomes a Welcome sign
The service’s detailed reasoning behind the ‘plan to turn the garden into an environment that promotes wellbeing
for all that use it’ was impressively well thought out. It was certainly one of the best entries we received in terms of
aiming to provide improved outcomes for service users: ‘We wanted the garden to be a place to improve and
practice old skills and develop new skills, a place to promote inclusion and foster understanding and tolerance.’
Above: Strawberries, pumpkins and beans were grown by the children
‘They learn about the different foods that they grow and gain a keen interest in eating them too. One of the children
stated: “We’ve grown strawberries, it's easy you just need mud, water and light, then they just grow.” While
another declared: “They taste nicer than the ones from the shop.”
Growing any plant requires attention and care; therefore, it teaches children responsibility and patience. The
anticipation of waiting makes the discovery of fruit or veg that is ready to eat, even more exciting.’
Below: The cable reel was painted to create a fairy table
The Barefoot Trail
‘A curved path designed to be walked on barefooted, with different textured sections allows those that use it to
enter the present moment. Having to concentrate on each step and each textured feeling doesn’t leave a lot of room
for outside thoughts to enter your mind.
The barefoot path acts as a centring tool to quiet the mind. As the path bends and curves over different textures, the
mind becomes disorientated because it's not sure what will come next. This confusion calms the mind in a gentle
and still way.
A variety of surfaces sand, mud, gravel, river stones, wood and thyme, were used to indicate transition from one
space to another and provide a sensory experience.’
Final Thoughts
It was clear that a huge amount of work, planning and dedication has gone into every project and it was most
inspiring to see all of the service users and staff getting fully involved with the design, planting, painting, building
and finally, real enjoyment of the spaces they created.
Congratulations again to all the winners & thank you to everyone that shared their beautiful gardens with us.