AN ALTRINCHAM care home has been named the winner of a competition encouraging care homes to get the most out of their gardens.

Allingham House Care Centre in Timperley, which provides residential, nursing and dementia care to the elderly, scooped the award for making their gardens more interesting and accessible for residents.

The care home has increased the number of activities and events held outdoors and added additional features, such as gazebos, parasols, blankets and cushions, to make spending time in the gardens more comfortable for residents.

Allingham House received a new set of garden furniture worth £900 for winning the competition.

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Staff at Allingham House have arranged many outdoor activities for residents, including flower arranging.

The project involved sharing best practice on creating successful outdoor spaces in care environments and encouraging homes to develop their gardens based on guidelines produced by Stirling University.

The team from Living Through Landscapes, an organisation who offers free resources and training to care settings on how to improve their outside spaces and make them more dementia-friendly, acted as judges for the competition.

Judges from Living Through Landscapes said: “We especially loved how there were such a variety of activities available to the residents, those that are more gardening specific, but also activities that might have otherwise taken place inside, and the opportunity to just be outside.

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Residents at Allingham House have been busy dancing in the outdoor sunshine this summer.

“We loved reading about the gazebo hosting a range of activities and the photos are a lovely reflection of the happy times that have already been spent there.

“It truly seems that the garden is seen as the same as any other room within the home, and is used fully.”

Spending time within green spaces has been shown to have positive effects on the physical and mental health of all, and especially for the elderly and people living with dementia.

Outdoor activity is known to support stress relief and boost mental and emotional well-being.

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Care workers at Allingham House, Timperley help residents with outdoor exercises.

Stephen Young, regional director for Maria Mallaband and Countrywide Care Homes, said: “External spaces of care settings need to be more than aesthetically pleasing.

“It’s just as important that the gardens are functional, stimulating places for residents and their families to spend time.

“On summer evenings we all enjoy spending time outside, pottering about in the garden or relaxing.

“We want our residents to be able to enjoy the same luxury.”