Sensory garden renovation for people with disabilities
York, UK
Mencap support people with a learning disability in every area of their lives where they need help, including helping them to live as independently as possible. We have 6 people living at the property who all enjoy being in the back garden but unfortunately it is not a nice, relaxed place for them at the present. We always wanted to make it a colourful area, with the sensory features, colourful plants, vegetable, fruits plots etc. We want to implement the active support into our service, in every aspect of their daily routine and with our support give them an opportunity to be able to grow and then consume their own fruits and vegetable. MP who is in her sixties who used to love gardening and spent lots of time out there when the back garden was suitable. We also have 2 other people, ES and PJ who are really responsive to the sensory sessions with lights, music and colourful surroundings. They both love being outside in the nice weather and sun which helps to improve their moods and helps with their anxiety; it would be great for them to be able to use it when they feel like it. All of the people that live at the property are much more responsive to quality 1:1 support offered in the right environment for them; staff had noticed a big difference when they could go outside into the back garden and enjoy outside activities like having a barbecue. Unfortunately due to the pavement slabs on the patio area not being levelled up properly, the freedom of the people that live there is currently restricted.We need some help purchasing paints, gardening equipment, flower beds and vegetable crops and volunteers would be involved in revamping the gardens - painting, planting and installing garden furniture and creating sensory areas. This would benefit the people we support at this Mencap service massively by providing them with a safe and pleasant space to enjoy and also socialise in, especially considering people with a learning disability are more likely to suffer from social isolation than the rest of the population.
What we've received