Carluke Care Home and Street Level Partnership Blossoms as Generations Come Together
A new partnership between Milton Grange Care Home in Carluke and local youth charity Street Level is helping transform the home’s gardens while uniting different generations through shared community projects.
Milton Grange, part of Popular Care, recently welcomed young people from Street Level’s Grafters Gardening Project for the first of a series of visits aimed at revitalising the home’s outdoor spaces and creating lasting friendships with residents.
During the inaugural session, the young volunteers worked alongside residents to create colourful hanging baskets and plant flowers in the garden. Although the project pauses over the school summer holidays, visits will resume in the Autumn term, with plans in place to build raised planters and continue developing the gardens together.
The sessions are led by youth worker Laura, who joined Street Level in January 2025 to continue its work with young people from Carluke High School at the Community Garden, alongside Rev Elijah Obinna, Minister of St John’s Church, Carluke, and Clergy Director for the Street Level project.
Laura brings almost 15 years of experience in community development within greenspaces and currently leads the Grafters Gardening Project, which supports five different school groups as they work towards recognised awards including the John Muir Award, Junior Foresters Award and, for some participants, their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
The hanging baskets were made possible thanks to fundraising efforts by the young people themselves, who climbed Tinto Hill to raise money to purchase the materials needed for the project.
Street Level has been at the heart of the Carluke community for more than 30 years. Originally established to support young people and provide positive opportunities, the charity has evolved into a respected community organisation with strong links to Carluke High School and local primary schools, encouraging young people to develop confidence, skills and lasting community connections.
Alice Karran, home manager at Milton Grange Care Home, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Street Level team and the young people to Milton Grange. It was wonderful to see residents and students working side by side, chatting, laughing and creating something beautiful together.
“The hanging baskets have already brightened up our outdoor spaces, but the real impact has been the relationships that have started to develop. We are incredibly grateful that the young people raised the funds themselves to provide all the materials, and we’re really looking forward to welcoming them back after the summer holidays to continue transforming our gardens with raised planters and, most importantly, spending more time with our residents.
“Partnerships like this demonstrate the power of bringing generations together. Our residents have so much life experience to share, while the young people bring enthusiasm, energy and fresh ideas. It’s a wonderful combination and we’re excited to see the partnership continue to flourish.”
