Residents, staff and visitors came together at Donaldson Lodge for an environmental day in order to maintain and reinvigorate the sheltered housing scheme’s garden.
Family members were invited to take part, as well as members of the local church. Mary Boothman, from Abbeyfield’s Health & Safety team and the Environmental Working Group, also got her green fingers out and Warwick, the house’s gardening contractors, lent their support.
Mary said, “Donaldson Lodge’s environmental day was a great opportunity to get stuck in and hands-on with our environmental work, whilst involving residents, relatives, and the local community at the same time. The difference we made in such a short period of time was evident on the resident’s faces; you could see how important having an outdoor space was to them. I look forward to visiting again, and hopefully putting some colour in the flower beds ready for Spring!”
The residents planted plants for the garden and seeds for the bird feeders, and a compost bin and water butt were also installed.
Five things you can do to help the environment
Feeling inspired to do your bit to help the environment, we've put together a list of simple things you can do:
1. Volunteer, if you can - there are litter picking events you can get involved with from a number of organisations including CleanupUK and Keep Britain Tidy, or contact our volunteering team to find out if there are any events at our Abbeyfield homes. You can also get involved by volunteering for wildlife or environmental organisations such as The Wildlife Trust, Nature Volunteers, or Greenpeace.
2. Plant a tree - trees help to clean the air and provide food and oxygen, which all helps to combat climate change. Trees For Cities have events in the autumn and winter that you can get involved with.
3. Shop locally - buying locally grown fresh food is an excellent way to support local farmers and also reduce your carbon footprint.
4. Walk or cycle - make small changes to reduce your carbon footprint by walking or cycling on shorter journeys, and car sharing or using public transport for longer journeys.
5. Reduce, reuse and recycle - cut down on the amount that you throw away, reuse things instead of throwing them out and turn it into something meaningful, and recycle as much as you can using your local recycling bins.