Green-fingered residents at Honey Lane Care Home win best-kept communal garden award

Honey Lane Care Home has won first prize for ‘best-kept communal garden’ at the Waltham Abbey in Bloom awards evening held at the Town Hall on Friday, September 6.

The specialist residential dementia care home, located on Honey Lane in Waltham Abbey, was also awarded second prize for ‘best communal hanging basket’ in the annual competition organised by Waltham Abbey Town Council.

Chris Skiddy has been the gardener at Honey Lane since October last year, he said: “We are thrilled to have our garden recognised.

“A lot of time and effort goes into making it accessible to all, and somewhere that every resident can enjoy spending time.”

For one resident, 80-year-old Paul Bracey, helping Chris to tend the garden is one of his biggest joys. He explained: “I have always had a passion for gardening. I’m lucky to be very green-fingered, and in my own gardens there was nothing I couldn’t grow!

“Having a garden has always been important to me, so to be able to take an active role in helping to plant and maintain the Honey Lane garden is marvellous.

“The fact that it’s now an award-winning garden makes me feel immensely proud of all the effort everyone puts into making our communal garden so beautiful.”

With support from the Honey Lane team, Paul helps with the general upkeep of the garden, including weeding, watering the plants and ensuring it all looks clean and tidy.

The award-winning garden features raised planters that are accessible to all, a variety of fruit trees, including plum, apple and fig, and an outdoor dome that is used for special occasions.

Lisa Gammalliere, lifestyle manager at Honey Lane Care Home, added: “Gardening is a wonderful way to enrich our residents’ lives and to help them maintain some independence.

“Residents like Paul, who choose to participate in the upkeep of the garden, take great pride in their accomplishments. Watching their efforts grow and bloom and witnessing the changes to the garden throughout the seasons, is both enjoyable and rewarding.

“Other residents simply enjoy spending time in the garden, finding a quiet corner to knit or read the newspaper, or entertaining their families when they come for a visit.”

Resident Pauline Davey, aged 82, loves spending time in the garden, especially in the summer months.

“I’m a huge sun worshiper and usually start my day in the garden,” said Pauline.

“I have my morning cup of tea and do some gentle exercises. I find the garden very relaxing and calming. The fresh air and sunshine always set me up for the day!”

The garden is also an opportunity for the residents to socialise. Fellow residents Aileen Spalding, 93, and Stella Whitehead, 92, love spending time together in the garden.

Aileen said: “When the weather is warm, we sit outside and chat while we weed the raised beds. There’s often activities organised in the garden and both Stella and I enjoy joining in with a sing-along.”

Home manager Angela Sacks added: “Gardening has lots of health and wellbeing benefits for older people, especially those living with dementia.

“For some of our residents it has a calming effect, helping them to relax and feel happy. And for others it gives them a sense of purpose, they take pride in helping to create our beautiful communal garden.”

Honey Lane Care Home is rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ at the Great British Care Awards 2023 for ‘Dementia Care’.