Carey Douglas, our Volunteer Coordinator, gives us an update on the three garden outreach projects she’s running: The Belhaven Green Team; Belhaven Buddies and Beehive Buddies.
Spring Update 2023
Belhaven Green Team
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We are hoping to get back to Belhaven Gardens soon. We are waiting for the water and toilets in the grounds to be fixed and then we can head back, in the meantime we are still meeting up. We made some beautiful seed packets recently and filled them with wild flower mix which are going to be sold at the next Belhaven plant sale. We also planted some colourful spring patio pots with narcissus and violas. There is nothing more traditional than a sunflower contest so we have planted our sunflower seeds and they are already beginning to grow! It was interesting to find out how they turn to face the sun and that they are great pollinators for bees and butterflies and the seeds are a much sought after delicacy for the birds. We might try them too, on our porridge! The tallest sunflower ever recorded was 30 ft high – that’s as tall as a telegraph pole! We have also been chitting and planting potatoes, we waited patiently for them to sprout before planting them out. We are looking forward to making a tortilla!
Belhaven Buddies
Doing the rounds at Belhaven hospital
Doing the rounds at Belhaven hospital
Ten young volunteers from Dunbar Grammar were identified to be ‘Belhaven Buddies’ and took part in training that was centred on Volunteering and Dementia Awareness. This helped the young volunteers feel more confident and prepared for their role in the hospital. It is too cold to go out for wellbeing walks at the moment, so instead the young volunteers helped around the wards restocking items, chatting away to residents as they went. There was a real buzz around the place with the young volunteers helping out. Everyone in the dayroom was treated to an impromptu ‘flash mob’ with young volunteers singing Elvis for one of the residents much to everyone’s amusement and awe! One of the residents also got a wee pamper session, enjoying a hand massage and having her nails done. Two of the volunteers also made beautiful name signs for the ladies they had been befriending – an Elvis one for Nan of course! It was lovely to see the generations together, in the moment, chatting and having a laugh! Maria said she felt very relaxed afterwards and that getting her nails done made her feel good about herself!
Maria getting her pamper session
Maria getting her pamper session
The Beautifully created Room Names made for Nan and Maria
The Beautifully created Room Names made for Nan and Maria
Hocus pocus soil is the focus!
Hocus pocus soil is the focus!
While one half of the group was inside pampering and entertaining residents and hospital staff, the other half were working on the newly created blossom garden helping to clear and shape the new flower beds. They worked very hard at their first session and did a grand job.
The young volunteers did some volunteering in Belhaven Gardens too helping Naomi clear some of the paths, the volunteers also had lots of fun with soil testing kits. They learned that plants have varying likes and dislikes when it comes to soil and that by testing the soil, we can determine what to plant where.
The young volunteers thoroughly enjoyed their visits to Belhaven Hospital and the gardens and they want to leave a legacy for residents in the Blossom Garden, so they baked lots of lovely cakes and sweet treats and held a bake sale in school. They have raised £70 and are going to buy a Cherry Blossom tree which we will be planting after the Easter break!
The Beehive Nursery Garden
The nursery garden is looking splendid with its new gathering space, shed and raised beds. Thank you to everyone who has helped make this happen so far. The new beds were donated to us by Dunbar Garden Centre along with lots of compost and top soil and David from Treetek donated and delivered the chippings and logs. The allotment site has been planted with thornless fruit bushes. We have gooseberries, thornless blackberry, blackcurrant, red currants and a Jostaberry – a juicy mix of gooseberry and blackcurrant!