Children from St Martin’s Garden Primary School and Hopscotch Nursery have come together to play with residents at our Bath care home at the UK’s first care home play garden.
The recently opened play garden at Hallmark Midford Manor was inspired by residents’ memories of their own childhood experiences and designed by children in a school competition.
It was born out of a partnership between Hallmark Care Homes Foundation and the play charity, London Play with the hope the garden will be first of many in care homes bringing wide-ranging benefits to young and old alike.
The garden features a little’s ones play area, a storytelling chair and seating area that will be used for outdoor lessons and an adjoining gate so the neighbouring school St Martins Garden have easy access to the space.
St Martin’s Garden and Hopscotch Nursery are making use of the area weekly playing games and reading to residents, improving their literacy skills with more intergenerational activities planned for the summer.