Residents and care home staff across Hull, East Riding and Lincolnshire have been hard at work adding a splash of colour to their gardens for an annual competition.
Each year over the summer months, Hica Group care homes go head to head to showcase the gardening skills of staff and residents; 14 care homes participated in this year’s competition and now after rigorous judging, four finalists have been chosen.
This year Albemarle, Wilton Lodge and Elm Tree Court, specialist dementia homes, have been shortlisted as finalists alongside Isaac Robinson Court, a specialist learning disability home, all based in Hull.
The winner will be announced at the organisation’s glitzy annual Shine ball attended by hundreds of residents from all Hica homes, in October.
Gardening has proved an effective relief for older people with dementia. Through participating in gardening projects, those living with dementia have something to concentrate on and work toward which helps engage the brain and continuously ease symptoms.
Hica board members and Julia Woodcock, executive personal assistant are currently judging each finalist’s garden. Penni Brown says: “I love seeing the effort that goes into each garden project. This event always proves popular and residents are in high spirits throughout summer.
“More residents than usual have been involved this year due to the fantastic weather we’ve had. I look forward to naming the winners although it’ll be a tough decision as everyone has done so well.”
The Hica Group, which runs 15 care homes and two retirement villages, introduced the Hica in Bloom competition four years ago and it continues to grow in popularity each time it is held. Participating homes are given a £250 donation from the care operator’s Shine Fund and are encouraged to fundraise to collect more money to spend on their garden project.
