Sarah Lodge’s residents gets green fingers creating a sensory garden for the community
27th Nov 2019
Greenfingers care about supporting the local community and improving local outdoor places, they recently teamed up with Great Places to transform a patch of grass into a sensory garden for Sarah Lodge in Bolton.
Sarah Lodge is a housing project that supports young women and families aged 16-25, who are either pregnant or have children aged five or under. The aim is to resettle the families into their own homes and empower them to make positive life choices, achieving their goals, whilst providing them with the necessary skills to sustain tenancy.
The customers of Sarah Lodge approached Greenfingers and Great Places with the aim to transform an area in the garden where children living at the scheme could plant seeds, care for the plants and watch them thrive. The idea is that the plants would continue to thrive after the children have left and would benefit new children who join the scheme.
The garden has proven popular with all the residents which has seen them create plastic bottles frogs, painted rocks and wind chimes to be included in the growing garden. Everyone mucks in to help weed and plant new seeds including potatoes grown in bags and rhubarb, giving residents a true sense of ownership over the eco-space.
Louise, a Sarah Lodge resident, enjoys the garden and thinks it’s a fantastic addition to the scheme: “Gardening can be relaxing and a perfect way to get people involved. It is a fun way to get kids interacting with them and they can eventually pick and try it at home. Home grown fruit and veg is so much healthier for the kids and adults. The children can watch the flowers that were planted grow and blossom into beautiful flowers that make their garden look pretty.”
Steve Higginbottom, Managing Director from Greenfingers, commented: “We have a great partnership with Great Places, the work they do at Sarah Lodge is phenomenal, supporting these young women and families back into the community and into their own homes. So, when they asked us to be involved in working with the community to transform their outdoor space we instantly said yes!
“We worked alongside the residents creating a specific area for their grow and eat plants, as well as providing them with the seeds and tools to maintain their gardens. The project was a great success and we hope the residents enjoy the area. We are looking forward to seeing the gardens flourish and will continue to be on hand to provide support and advice when required.”
If you would like more information about how we can work with you to improve your outdoor spaces, please get in touch.
Call Greenfingers today on 0845 399 7777 or email info@greenfingers-group.co.uk
