St Thomas' gets garden makeover as part of national competition

Residents at St Thomas' care home in Basingstoke have been working together to spruce up the home's gardens, in order to take part in a national competition.

Organised by care provider Barchester Healthcare, which owns the St Thomas' centre, the Barchester in Bloom competition sees 200 homes across the country competing to display their horticultural prowess, according to an article in the Basingstoke Gazette.

The competition was designed to promote the imaginative planting of flowers, plants and trees for residents and visitors to enjoy, with the winning home receiving a visit from TV gardener Charlie Dimmock.

St Thomas' gardener Dennis Ward said that staff and residents alike at the care home were very excited about the competition.

He told the newspaper: "The people who live here love their garden and so I think we'll all muck in to get it worthy of an award.

"We've already got some lovely plants and are currently working on our hanging baskets."

St Thomas' care home, converted from a Victorian building, is a 24-hour facility that provides expert care for people with dementia in its Memory Lane Community.

Find the nearest Barchester care home.