Residents and staff at Gregory House care home in Grantham are delighted to win Trust in Bloom. They share gratitude to their neighbours and the Grantham community for their generosity, which helped, the home to win the Best Overall Gardens in the Trust in Bloom 2023 competition. Gregory House beat 43 other OSJCT care homes entries to the top prize in this annual gardening competition.

Marie Young, Home Manager, said: “The support we received from residents’ families, our neighbours, and the wider community was truly fantastic. I was slightly taken aback with the result, but ultimately delighted and extremely proud of the whole team for winning this accolade.” 

“Our special thanks go to local supporters: Sainsburys, Wickes, B&Q, Roxley Market Garden, MKM building supplies, Longwaters, Lawless Civils, Geo Quarries, Grantham Tree Surgeon, Hollis Road Garden Centre, Simon from Outwood, the Garden Yard, and the wonderful team from Adult Day Break at Grantham College.”

Gregory House came top in four competition categories: Vegetable Garden, Home Garden, Hanging Garden and Balcony Garden. It also received special Commendations for the Biggest Transformation, Creativity and Enthusiasm, Long-term vision and ambition. Activities Co-ordinator Ashleigh Pinder was commended for Community Relations, and resident Ute Borkertas for her participation. Ute inspired the creation of a small garden windmill similar to one handmade by her late husband. 

The annual Trust in Bloom competition provides a focus for the charity’s care homes across England to showcase their beautiful gardens. For 2023 homes were invited to incorporate the theme of the Coronation Year into their garden plans. Many entries included creative ideas, props and red, white and blue flowers in their displays. The 43 OSJCT homes which entered the competition were visited by senior managers who took on the task of awarding category and overall winners.

Judges praised Gregory House in particular for their community and resident involvement. Gregory House’s entry showcased their garden’s themed zones including a sensory area, zen garden, country garden and a rockery. The home’s wildlife garden in its courtyard makes excellent use of space and design with hedgehog boxes, bug hotels, space for compost making, a small pond and bird boxes.

After the competition launch, Activities Co-ordinator Ashleigh Pinder called a resident and staff meeting to make a plan. Many great ideas were suggested and then the home worked in teams to split the garden into different themed areas. Resident Ute Borkertas wanted to recreate a windmill that was handmade by her late husband. Everyone jumped into action, and an appeal was made to the kind-hearted people in Grantham to help create this dream garden. 

Szilvia Szucs, Carer, contacted everyone she could think of via social media and an article in the Grantham Journal. She said: “I was overwhelmed by the amount of people and companies that got back to me wanting to help. We wanted to do this for our residents and it’s wonderful to have the areas inspired by them for everyone now to enjoy.”

Dan Hayes, OSJCT Chief Executive and Trust in Bloom Judge, said: “To have been so ambitious and to have achieved such a stunning outcome against every category is superb. The pure ambition of this project, and the fact that it delivered hugely, is a credit to the whole team, and the supporting community.”