Jul 2023
Monkscroft Care Centre resident Judith triggers terrarium trend in local community
Local community joins in home's open garden day during Care Home Open Week

Owning and caring for houseplants is a popular hobby. But this passion isn’t just for millennial plant parents and plantfluencers who are part of #PlantTok, a growing community on social media platform TikTok. Judith Green, a resident at Monkscroft Care Centre, has triggered the trend in her local Cheltenham community.
When Judith moved to Monkscroft Care Centre, she missed her garden and allotment and saw an opportunity to influence the development of the home’s expansive gardens. She explains: “I am Judith Green by name and I am green by nature. I’ll often quote David Attenborough, and I knew lots of people were taking part in no mow May. So I suggested that we should also have a wildflower area in the home’s garden. With the help of Dan, our handyman, we have nurtured some seeds and sown them to create a haven for wildlife.” Not content with stopping there, Judith went on to put the home’s Activities Co-ordinator, Sarah Davis, in touch with the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (GWT), of which she is an active member, to explore more ways for the home to help nature, as well as bring nature into the home.
One of the ideas for adding a touch of nature to the home was a community workshop to create terrariums. The benefits of plants and nature to mental and physical wellbeing are well-documented, but the small scale of tiny terrariums means they can be easily moved from place to place, and they require little maintenance.
Frances Halstead, Nextdoor Nature Officer at Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, led the workshop as part of GWT’s Nextdoor Nature initiative. The project aims to reach out to people who want to be more connected to nature, helping to create nature-filled spaces where they live. Frances knows well the positive connection between nature and care, having also worked as a dementia champion and lifestyle coordinator with another care provider. She commented: “It’s been wonderful to hear the buzz of chat and see the enthusiasm and excitement this workshop has generated. Getting people whose access to nature is restricted, for whatever reason, is the focus of the Nextdoor Nature project, and you could really see the residents making those connections today. It’s been a lovely session.”
The workshop has held as part of the home’s open garden day during Care Home Open Week. Joining in with residents were OSJCT volunteers James Bush and Clare Arthur, Ian Mason from Monkscroft Community Action Group, Cllr Richard Pineger, as well as residents Jim and Hilary from OSJCT Grevill House and their Activities Co-ordinator Roberta Smart. Visitors also got to enjoy a stroll in the home’s garden, and cream tea made by the home’s chef.
Ian said: “We are really keen on involving local residents in the community group, and meeting in the care home is ideal for us as we are on each other’s doorsteps. I cared for my grandmother for 20 years, and really enjoy speaking with residents here. We have been sharing lots of stories today!”
Local councillor Richard added: “I really enjoyed visiting Monkscroft Care Centre for this event. The team there clearly do a tremendous job enabling their residents to take part in the community and the plantings in the garden were pretty and bring a nice dash of colour. When I arrived, the residents were busy planting terrariums for their rooms but they soon moved on to the celebratory cream tea. What a pleasant morning!”
The home is continuing to collaborate with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, and Judith and fellow residents are already eagerly anticipating the next joint nature-based activity in August.