Residents and colleagues at HC-One’s
Daneside Mews Care Home, in Northwich, Cheshire, are celebrating after being crowned the Bonus Bloom Finalist 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.
Daneside Mews wowed the judges after rolling up their sleeves to transform their outdoor space into a haven for wildlife throughout the spring and summer months. This year’s competition welcomed entries from across the UK with homes encouraged to showcase creativity, community engagement, and lasting environmental impact.
One of the core values of the Gardens in Bloom initiative is to encourage community participation, and Daneside Mews Care Home did just that. Spearheaded by Trudi Smith, HC-One’s Daneside Mews Wellbeing Coordinator, the team transformed reused garden pallets into a flourishing vegetable patch, aptly named Sunshine in Bloom at the Mews.
With sustainability and accessibility at the heart of the project, old pallets were collected, painted, and repurposed to grow a wide variety of fresh vegetables and herbs. The garden now boasts radishes, spring onions, lettuce, thyme, parsley, tomatoes, runner beans, coriander, and basil – all nurtured by the green thumbs of Daneside Mews residents and their families.
In keeping with the eco-friendly spirit, the team has used recycled pallets carefully painted to bring life to the garden. They also collect milk bottles and water bottles to harvest rainwater, which is used in a drip irrigation system to keep the vegetables well-watered without waste.
To further encourage local wildlife, feeding boxes have been installed, helping to create a thriving habitat alongside the garden. The project thoughtfully includes pallets mounted at wheelchair height, enabling all residents, regardless of mobility, to participate in planting and watering.
Adding to the serene atmosphere, colourful flowers have been planted around the seating areas, offering a beautiful and relaxing environment for residents and visitors alike.
Trudi Smith, Wellbeing Coordinator at HC-One’s Daneside Mews Care Home, said:
“Residents, colleagues, and the local community really enjoyed converting the garden area of the home in a bid to enter this year’s HC-One Gardens in Bloom competition. The entire involvement brought so much joy.
“I’m extremely proud of the creativeness and hard work everyone put into the project and the lasting benefit it’s already having on our residents' wellbeing. This garden is a reflection of our care, community spirit, and the radiant life we nurture at Daneside Mews Care Home.”
For more information about HC-One homes near you, please visit
www.hc-one.co.uk/carehomes.