Residents and colleagues at HC-One’s Market Lavington Care Home in Devizes, Wiltshire, are celebrating after being crowned regional winner for the South West region in the national HC-One Gardens in Bloom competition.
The annual initiative encourages HC-One care homes across the UK to get creative with their outdoor spaces, highlighting the therapeutic benefits of gardening while strengthening ties with the local community and promoting sustainable practices.
Market Lavington Care Home wowed the judges with its vibrant and inclusive outdoor space, featuring purpose-built, accessible raised beds designed for wellbeing, community connection, and biodiversity. The garden includes two wheelchair-accessible beds and two standing-height beds ideal for residents using kirtan chairs, enabling as many residents as possible to get involved in gardening activities.
Throughout spring and summer, the team at Market Lavington Care Home worked hard to transform their garden into a colourful, multi-sensory haven. Residents planted flowers, fruit, vegetables, and herbs grown from seed, with help from local volunteers and donations from the community – including compost and materials sourced from reclaimed pallets and collars.
For those less green-fingered, creativity blossomed through painted plant pots that added colour and charm to the space. The garden’s design focuses on accessibility and mental wellbeing, with features such as raised beds for ease of use, a pollinator-friendly planting scheme supporting bees and butterflies and produce grown to be used fresh in the care home kitchen.
Eco-friendly initiatives were also integrated into the project, including sourcing plants from a local nursery just a five-minute walk away to reduce CO2 emissions, compost donations from local villagers, and the reuse of materials that would have otherwise gone to landfill. A new weekly gardening club has now been formed to keep the garden thriving and continue providing joy and purpose to residents throughout the seasons.
Anitha Jisson, HC-One’s Market Lavington Care Home Manager, said:
“We are so pleased to have received this award. I’d like to thank all of our residents, colleagues, and local supporters for their hard work and dedication.
“The garden has brought so much happiness and connection to our home, and the benefits for residents’ wellbeing have been incredible. This space is more than a garden – it’s a symbol of community, care, and creativity.”
The HC-One Gardens in Bloom competition gives participants freedom to explore creative ideas, from wildlife gardens to sensory patches and vegetable plots. Five regional finalists as well as an overall winner are selected from across England, Scotland, and Wales, based on creativity, community engagement, and sustainable gardening practices.
Regional finalists receive a plaque and gardening hamper, whilst the overall winner, judged and selected by James Tugendhat, Chief Executive Officer at HC-One, receives a trophy, plaque, gardening hamper plus a £300 gift voucher kindly sponsored and donated by Real Trade Supplies.