West Sussex Care Home Hosts Community Spring Bulb Planting Event

Deerswood Lodge care home in Crawley has hosted a spring bulb planting event as part of its ‘rewilding project’.

The mayor of Crawley, Jilly Hart, family and friends were invited to the home to join the residents and staff to plant over 400 bulbs.

The outside space marks the fourth area in Deerswood’s transformational journey and when complete will include a wildflower meadow, prairie border, vegetable patch, sensory trail and a mini orchard. Last year, the care home hosted a successful tree-planting day during National Tree Week.

Wan Illman, service manager of Deerswood Lodge, said: “We had such a fantastic day with the mayor, friends and family for our spring bulb planting event. The rain didn’t stop us – we’ve certainly got some green fingers among us.

“Our rewilding project is very much still ongoing, with the seeding of our wooded area with wild flowers, new water feature, new raised beds for the residents to personally garden, a new wooden gazebo and more to come!

“The residents absolutely love having an outdoor space to explore and spend time in, so we are very thankful to the Friends of Deerswood for all their help in making this a reality.”

Brian Baker, volunteer and ‘Friends of Deerswood’ community group member who has been spearheading the project, added: “This project has been all about designing an environment that promotes Shaw healthcare’s key values; wellness, happiness, and kindness. We’ve focused on activities and pastimes to promote healthy minds, well-being, creativity and enjoyment, and it’s been a real joy to see all that come to light.”