Care Home Residents Create ‘Enchanted’ Garden

Residents at a Poole care home have turned their wish for a magical enchanted garden into reality.

Colten Care’s dedicated dementia care home, The Aldbury, created the enchanting space after residents debated ways to brighten up their Winter Garden.

The Aldbury companionship team member, Cara Duroe, explained:
“During our regular garden club, the group and gardener were chatting about how we could brighten up the winter garden and the residents’ views from their rooms.

“Residents Joyce Holden and Pip Smith suggested a fairy garden and this got the group talking about how creative and magical an enchanted garden would be and how it could be developed and added to through future garden club and activities.”

Cara continued:
“Tina Thorne said how lovely it would be for not only the residents to visit, but their great grandchildren and the local school children, when the home can welcome visitors again.

“So, we set to work creating fairy houses and doors which were painted and decorated inside the residents’ rooms as well as the communal areas.

“Everyone enjoyed this immensely and when it came to place their work in the garden the residents were thrilled with the result.”

Resident Tina Thorne said:
“My great grandchildren are going to absolutely love this, and actually my children too!”

During the creation of the enchanted garden, folktales and poems were read out by the home’s companionship team to explore the fascination we have with the magic of fairies.

Cara said:
“We read about the Cottingley Fairies which appeared in a series of five photographs in 1917. These faked photographs were taken by two cousins who lived in Cottingley, near Bradford and fooled the world, also capturing the attention of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who used them to illustrate an article on the existence of fairies.”

The Aldbury residents also created some of their own magical fairy photographs.

Cara added:
“It was a great project for all our residents regardless of their capabilities and skills, enabling them to use their imagination and of course have lots of fun.

“The Enchanted Garden will encourage residents to go outside, help to maintain the plants, care for the elements of design and even just go for a stroll.

“The Aldbury staff are also enjoying visiting the garden, finding it a relaxing place to spend their breaks.”