Lake House care home has been chosen as the Oxfordshire winner in OSJCT’s annual gardening competition. This achievement reflects all the hard work and dedication, by team members, volunteers and supporters in the community, which went into transforming the home’s gardens into vibrant and therapeutic spaces for residents and visitors throughout the year.

Lake House joined 51 OSJCT homes in the competition. As the Oxfordshire winner they received £125 gardening vouchers from competition sponsor SwitchShop. The care home was also chosen as the Oxfordshire winner in the Kerb Appeal, Community Gardening and Residents’ Choice categories.

Special features in Lake House’s competition entry for 2025 included:

• Accessories and laminated signs which highlight the history of Adderbury for residents and visitors to enjoy, such as an agricultural wheel, village house boxes crafted by residents and wool pompoms to represent the local the wool industry
• Raised beds and greenhouse in a dedicated area for growing seeds and produce
• Chimes to represent the local church and nature sounds playing through a CD to add sound to the garden areas
• A reflection garden where family members have donated plants and bushes
• Colourful meadow garden and fruit tree orchard
• Hanging baskets near the care home’s entrance, made up by residents with flowering plants grown from seeds

Alex Grindle, Lake House Home Manager, said: "We are overjoyed to win Best Overall Garden in Oxfordshire! Trust in Bloom gives us a space to celebrate the amazing things our residents are doing all year round. It’s not just about the competition—it’s about recognising the joy and purpose gardening brings.”

For Sue, a resident who moved to the care home with her husband early in 2025, gardening at Lake House evokes fond memories of growing up on a farm. She said: “I was always outside—fresh air, happy, Wellington boots grotty and untidy, but that didn’t matter. Just being out is nice. My mother was a keen gardener. She took half an orchard and filled it with vegetables. When I garden here, I think of her.”

The home runs a gardening club every Tuesday at 2pm, where residents, volunteers and members of the home’s day centre spend time weeding and tidying areas in the home’s extensive gardens. 

Lake House often runs family and community events, earlier in this summer they held an Open Gardens event in support of Katharine House Hospice and raised almost £200 for this important local charity. Visitors explored the dementia-friendly sensory gardens, carefully designed to stimulate all five senses. This space helps to spark memories and support meaningful connections for residents, particularly those living with dementia.

The home regularly holds community events. For more details follow the home on Facebook www.facebook.com/OSJCTLakeHouse.