For many Gardening provides an escape from the world, the enjoyment of growing something from the beginning and watching it flourish can provide a sense of achievement and satisfaction. Not only this but gardening provides many health benefits for both young and older generations.

The 4 key benefits of gardening include:

Exercise and burning calories. Planting and pulling weeds can help you burn 200 to 400 calories an hour. Gardening gets the body moving by requiring some bending, squatting, stretching and pulling.

Muscle-strengthening. You don’t have to push around a heavy wheelbarrow to keep your muscles from weakening. A few hours of gardening per week will give you the workout you need.

Vitamin D. While you don’t want to overdo it, a few hours of exposure to sunshine will give you more vitamin D than your nightly glass of milk.

Stress-reducing. Gardening increases hand-eye coordination, which helps to keep the brain and body in sync. It also lowers stress-producing cortisol levels and raises serotonin; a calming chemical in the brain that puts you in a good mood.

As a result of the ever-growing evidence for health and wellbeing Layston Grove makes a conscious effort to include gardening in their weekly lifestyle programmes, during the winter months, residents can enjoy garden activities in our garden room, taking part in garden top workshops. This gets our residents as close to the outside as possible. Now the sun is shining, and spring is upon us, residents can use both indoor and outdoor facilities to take part in gardening activities and events.

Last week Tesco in Baldock kindly donated 15 trays of plants for our resident to enjoy. This was greatly appreciated by both residents and staff, who have planted these in their gardens, boasting beautiful colours.

Layston Grove Commented, ‘We would like to thank Sam Gates and the Management of Tesco Baldock for the kind donation of Plants for our Gardens.  They have certainly brightened the gardens for the residents and the staff with their lovely colours and have become a talking point.’

‘We are looking forward to the warmer days when the residents will be able to get out into the gardens and enjoy theses lovely plants.’

‘Thank you once again.’

Layston Grove , operated by Halcyon Care Homes, is a residential and dementia care home where residents and staff have recently received their second dose of the Covid-19 vaccination. The home is currently welcoming new residents for short and long term placements and loved ones are able to visit in dedicated Covid-safe social rooms (subject to current guidelines). Layston Grove is rated as ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission. For more information about Layston Grove, contact 01763 274327 or visit https://www.halcyoncarehomes.co.uk/