A special forget-me-not project
After a flurry of inspirational names were suggested by residents for the new visitors pod at Saxonwood care home in Battle, it was time to cast a vote and decide on a shiny new title for this special place. Involving friends and family, the unanimous decision was made and the visitors pod was to be called ‘forget-me-not’ cottage.
From this day on, residents have enjoyed meeting their loved ones in the tranquil garden setting, reuniting with their favourite people and creating special memories. However, residents all agreed forget-me-not cottage needed a stamp of creativity and flair to make the area more than just a room.
The ideas grew and grew, and from that day on, residents spent afternoons creating beautiful forget-me-not flower paintings and designed the interior of the visitor’s pod to just how they’d like it. Residents planted forget-me-not flowers around the entrance and painted beautiful forget-me-not water colours to decorate the interior. Resident’s announced there was going to be an opening ceremony where they wanted to have champagne and a ribbon to cut.
After some time and a lot of use, residents gave the cottage another project – aptly titled “the painted ladies”. This project helped to bring the residents’ ideas and dreams to life. A sea of excitement was felt when the creative picture board was shared at a residents meeting, everyone loved the idea to go one step further.
It was time to get to work, residents and staff, supervised by “the painted ladies” spent just under a week, painting beautifully large, small and quirky forget-me-not flowers all over our cottage. Residents had so much fun and thoroughly enjoyed their ideas becoming reality, as well as getting hands and involved with this special project.
Residents were kindly donated a carved name plaque to go above the door way that was ready for them to sand and design their own way. Forget-me-nots were painted all over and the plaque soon took pride of place above the doorway for everyone to see.
As time has gone by this area is not only a place for families to visit, but it has also become a place of solace, tranquillity and peace, even becoming a quiet place to read a book on a rainy day or listen to nature thriving in the garden.