Double Garden Success For Award-Winning Salisbury Care Home

Residents and team members at a Salisbury care home are celebrating prestigious wins in two separate gardening competitions.

Colten Care’s Braemar Lodge has won Gold in the annual City Gardens awards run by Salisbury City Council.

It has also seen off the challenge of 18 other Colten Care homes to win the title of Best Overall Garden at the operator’s own in-house gardening contest.

The City Gardens success followed a Silver Gilt runners-up award last year which praised the involvement of residents in the garden design and the choice of flowers and plants.

Home Manager Alison Bremner said: “We had a residents’ meeting the day after the Silver Gilt and talked through how we could win Gold this year based directly on the judges’ feedback. We’ve spent a year doing it, introducing water butts, wildflower area, butterfly walk, bug houses and fruit trees. The judges said it was clear we had taken on board their comments from last year.”

The judges awarded the Stratford Road home a clean sweep of Gold grades across nine distinct categories including tidiness, layout, atmosphere, provision for wildlife and environmental practice.

In their citation, they wrote: “This garden is a joy to be in. Each resident must feel it is their garden as every aspect has the residents in mind.”

In his comments for the in-house award, Colten Care Head Gardener Charles Hubberstey described the garden as a ‘picturesque beauty spot, worthy of high award’. He praised its development over the years by gardener Lesley King with others at the home playing their part too.

Mr Hubberstey added: “Manager Alison Bremner is enthusiastic for all things garden while the residents are active with a garden club and always full of ideas.”

Runner-up for the Best Overall Garden title in the Colten Care competition was Abbotts Barton in Winchester while Best Floral Welcome went to Abbey View in Sherborne.

Colten Care runs 19 care homes in Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire. Its services include residential, nursing, respite and dementia care. The family-run group is determined to set the highest standards in all aspects of care for the elderly.