Residents and colleagues at HC-One’s
Rosebridge Court Care Home in Wigan, Manchester, have been busy nurturing their green spaces as part of this year’s HC-One Gardens in Bloom competition, and their hard work has paid off. The annual event, a cherished initiative across the HC-One network, celebrates the joy and therapeutic benefits of gardening while strengthening community bonds.
Throughout the spring and summer months, the team at Rosebridge Court rolled up their sleeves to revitalize their communal garden area, transforming it into a vibrant, multi-sensory haven named 'Blooming Eck'. The garden is now filled with flowers, vegetables, and wildlife-friendly features. This year’s competition welcomed entries from across the UK, with homes encouraged to showcase creativity, community engagement, and lasting environmental impact.
The initiative's core value is community participation, and Rosebridge Court embraced this fully. Colleagues, residents, and local volunteers came together to contribute ideas, plant flowers, and build features. Notably, resident Bob Disley, a keen gardener, spearheaded the creation of a large greenhouse. With support from colleagues, Bob planned and built the greenhouse, and a new gravel footpath was laid to ensure easy access. Bob has since tended to the greenhouse, growing a substantial crop of tomatoes, beets, and onions.
The collaborative spirit was evident throughout the project. With a generous donation from Bents Garden Centre, residents planted colourful borders and containers with a variety of flowers, including million bells, photinia, and lavender. They also created a circular flower bed with poppies and petunias. Maintenance operative Ian Davies built a raised planting station and vegetable troughs from spare timber. The team also made sure to reuse and revamp older planters, making the most of all available resources.
The new garden has become a source of pride and wellbeing for residents. The fruit and vegetables grown, including tomatoes, sugar snap peas, and red cabbage, have been shared among residents and colleagues, with the homegrown tomatoes proving to be a delicious and popular treat. The team has now set up a weekly gardening club to maintain the space and continue the engagement. Residents enjoy tending to their assigned patches, finding joy in both the routine and the seasonal changes.
The sense of achievement at Rosebridge Court is already tangible. The garden has become a focal point for social gatherings and a welcoming space for visitors and families.
Nicola Harvey, Wellbeing Coordinator at HC-One’s Rosebridge Court Care Home,
shared:
"Residents and colleagues have worked extremely hard to achieve our beautiful blooming garden. The project brought so much joy, pride and connectivity to everyone in the home, not just with residents but with our fantastic team. I'm incredibly proud of what has been achieved and I’m so happy to see the positive impact the garden is having on all our resident’s wellbeing.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the generosity of Bents Garden Centre, and to our maintenance man Ian for building our planters and especially to our resident Bob, who has worked tirelessly on his greenhouse to produce a great crop of homegrown vegetables, which everyone in the home has enjoyed."
As part of the judging process, HC-One selected five regional winners across England, Scotland, and Wales, with one overall winner crowned the overall winner based on creativity, community engagement, and sustainable gardening practices. Regional finalists received a plaque and gardening hamper, while the overall winner, selected by James Tugendhat, Chief Executive Officer at HC-One, received a trophy, plaque, a gardening hamper, and a £300 gift voucher kindly sponsored and donated by Real Trade Supplies.
Residents and the team at Rosebridge Court are enjoying the fruits of their labour, a beautiful, calming garden space that will continue to grow and flourish, just like the community behind it.
To learn more about Rosebridge Court Care Home or other HC-One homes in your area, visit:
www.hc-one.co.uk/carehomes.