A new community garden in Peasedown St John has been created to support those living with dementia, following twelve months of hard work and dedication by a handful of volunteers.
Project managed by Nathan Hartley and local gardener, Karen Bourne, the garden is open to anyone to enjoy and relax in.
Mr Hartley, who coordinates the village’s ‘Dementia Friendly’ initiative said: “Our new community garden has something for everyone. In particular it’s dementia-friendly and aides those with sensory difficulties – so it will help to engage people’s senses of sight, smell, touch, and sound.
“I’m grateful to everyone that’s played a part in creating this special space. Dementia is on the rise, with almost 1 million people in the UK now living with the condition, so the more we can do to create dementia-friendly communities the better it is for everyone.”
The project was funded through a £500 grant from Curo and another £500 grant from international food producer, Apetito.
Volunteers from Peasedown St John Residents’ Association, Dementia Friendly Peasedown, Peasedown St John Cubs, St John’s Church and Bath & North East Somerset all took part in weeding, cutting, nailing, planting and landscaping over the last 12 months.
Both Karen Bourne and Luke McCafferty from Canon & Sons Ltd were instrumental in the project’s success.
Last Monday afternoon, community leaders, volunteers and councillors gathered to celebrate all the work that’s been put into the garden.
The community garden is located right outside the village’s new Community Library at 33a St John’s Close, BA2 8JG.
Library Manager, Cllr Karen Walker (Independent, Peasedown St John) added: “Our new sensory garden looks beautiful. It’s just the kind of thing you want to see outside of a popular local resource like a library.
“When the weather is nice, library visitors can sit in the garden with a nice cold drink and get stuck into an enthralling novel, or read the local newspaper!”
Anyone is welcome to visit the Community Garden. It’s free to use and open to the public.
