Green-fingered care home residents have garden to be proud of

Residents and team members at a care home in Wimbledon are crossing their green fingers after entering a national gardening competition.

Kew House, a residential, dementia and nursing care home in Spencer Hill Road, was recently visited by judges for the annual Hallmark in Bloom contest.

Kew House Care Home will go up against 18 other Hallmark Care Homes across England and Wales, and will be judged against a gold, silver and bronze criteria for titles such as Best Visual Impact, Best Gardening Club and Best Vegetable Patches and Herb Gardens.

All residents are involved in the competition in some form, be it by planting pots at the weekly gardening club or sitting in the garden and joining in with the planning conversations ahead of the warmer months.

Natasha Shillingford, general manager of Kew House, said: “We had a fabulous time celebrating Hallmark in Bloom this year. The residents and team thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

“We work extremely hard to ensure our gardens are looking fabulous all year round, and our green-fingered residents love getting involved, too.”

Well-being manager at Hallmark Care Homes and Hallmark in Bloom judge, Georgina Miller, said: “It’s always a great privilege to be part of the judging panel for this competition.

“It’s amazing to see the innovative ways that our team make sure our gardens are not only beautiful, but also influenced and used by the residents year-round.”

The winners of the competition will be announced next month.

Pictured top: Team members and residents from Kew House and the judges celebrate Hallmark in Bloom (Picture: Hallmark Care Homes)