Meet Terry – relishing his role as gardening assistant 

When Terry first arrived at The Manse after damaging his leg, he found it hard to accept he needed to be in a care home.  

Fast forward to today and he is absolutely loving his new life, especially his role of gardening assistant at our care home in South Norwood, London.    

Having always had his own allotment, home manager Nitin recognised it was important for Terry to continue his love of gardening, so suggested he take on the role, knowing it would give him a sense of purpose and significance.  

Terry explains: “Nitin asked me what I liked to do, and I said I had my own allotment and I love gardening and used to grow all my own vegetables. He said, ‘well let’s carry on doing it then’ and that was the starting point for me - now I am out there all the time!” 

Terry works closely with another of the home’s residents who loves gardening to choose what they need to plant and when, then the staff take them shopping for seeds. The green fingered duo run gardening sessions with their fellow residents, planting and nurturing the seeds, which they then transfer to the home’s new greenhouse and raised planters.  

From broad beans and carrots to fresh herbs, tomatoes and radishes, they’ve got it all! Once the produce is ready, the home’s chef uses it in the kitchen, from planter to plate.  

Terry added: “When my leg got better, I could have gone home, but I thought if I go home, I have nothing to do and will just sit in an armchair, so I decided to stay here and I am happy and it’s nice to see everything growing.”  

So many of our residents across England and Scotland are enjoying similar projects as part of Sanctuary Care’s Grow Your Own Way initiative, where our residents are eating the fruits - and vegetables - of their labour! 

For more about how we are enriching lives at The Manse and our care homes in London, our Enquiry Support Team are here to talk on 0800 331 7422.