Speedwell Court, a dementia-friendly care home for older people in Southampton’s West End, has recently been visited by a team of volunteers from Sky TV.
The volunteers worked for a day to help with the progression of a new kitchen garden, which the home is creating to improve its green credentials and encourage its residents to get more involved in the preparation of their meals.
The home’s gardener, Mark Line, and Catering Manager, Sam Woodhouse, have put the ‘seed to feed’ project together.
Children from Riverside Pre-School have worked alongside the residents to help to plant seeds in the greenhouse, which they will be monitoring over the next few weeks.
The home has also managed to source free woodchip, timber and various other items from Freecycle. Homebase, in nearby Winchester, have also supported the project by donating compost, fruit trees and seed packets, while Eastleigh B&Q and Southampton Airport have given more seeds, tools, and equipment, and the latter a small donation. They have also secured two grants from the Southern Co-op Greener Neighbourhoods fund and the W.G. Edwards Charitable Foundation, and are continuing to look into different funding opportunities.
Volunteering at Abbeyfield
Volunteers are the lifeblood of Abbeyfield. We welcome volunteers of all ages and abilities and have countless roles to suit the amount of time you can give. Volunteering roles include gardening, looking after pet hens, befriender, activities assistants, admin support and many more.
