MEDIA RELEASE 17 July 2021
IMAGES FREE TO USE
It’s official – Perthshire’s care homes are “blooming” marvellous, following a flurry of wins across the county in a gardening competition.
Four Balhousie Care Group homes in Perthshire were named category winners on Friday in a competition run by the care provider to celebrate their green spaces.
Balhousie Rumbling Bridge, Balhousie Luncarty, Balhousie Coupar Angus and Balhousie Ruthven Towers in Auchterarder won first place in, respectively, the following categories: Best Indoor Display; Community Engagement; Staff and Resident Participation; Most Improved.
They will now go through to a final judged by legendary gardener and TV presenter Alan Titchmarsh.
The ‘Bloom’ awards, as they are known across Balhousie Care Group, have inspired the Scottish care provider’s 26 homes across six regions of Scotland to celebrate their gardens and the joy that they can bring. The competition has been fierce with many relatives, local community groups, businesses and members of the public joining in the gardening efforts by planting, trimming pruning and watering the homes’ outdoor spaces.
The results have been spectacular and the four Perthshire winners exhibited some inspiring ideas, including: upcycled planters at Coupar Angus, with jeans, boots, walking frames and fireplace surrounds all used to house plants; a Zen inside space at Rumbling Bridge; and a fairy tree at Luncarty. Each category winner receives a selection of gardening goodies generously supplied by ASDA Perth.
The overall winner will be carefully selected by Mr Titchmarsh. The category winners were chosen by members of the Senior Leadership Team at Balhousie Care Group. They were all hugely impressed by the level of engagement and passion shown by all the homes.
Jill Kerr, Group Chief Executive Officer and one of the judges, said: “It has been incredible seeing how much time and effort has been put into each garden across our homes. The creativity, participation from residents and staff and the community has been just wonderful to see. Over the past 18 months our outdoor spaces have offered a great deal of comfort to our residents and we are delighted to see them celebrated through Balhousie In Bloom. Congratulations to all of them for showing exceptionally hard work and creativity. We wish them the best of luck for the final.”
In what has been an exciting coup for Balhousie, Alan Titchmarsh was happy to back the competition which encourages care home residents and their local communities to get out into the garden. Alan said: “Over the past year, our gardens and outdoor spaces have brought more joy to people than ever, offering a sanctuary, a place to relax and be closer to nature, and a place for activity and exercise. In care homes they have become even more special. It is wonderful to see residents and staff across Balhousie Care Group celebrating their gardens through Balhousie in Bloom. I’m delighted to be a judge for this competition and can’t wait to disclose the finalist very soon.”
For more information about Balhousie Care Group visit www.balhousiecare.co.uk
More photos here: https://io100276128-my.sharepoint.com/:u:/g/personal/gillian_drummond_balhousiecare_co_uk/Ec8K71LdmhpNoipxnwo5_UQB1ePj6Nfw1a7OsVJhtQyvRw?e=07hCZ7
Photo captions: Staff, residents and community members all contributed to transforming Balhousie Care Group’s care home gardens.
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For media enquiries please contact Gillian Drummond on 07365 284994 or email gillian.drummond@balhousiecare.co.uk
About Balhousie Care Group
Balhousie Care Group was formed 30 years ago to fill a gap in quality residential care in North East Scotland. Today, with 26 homes in the area, it is one of the leading providers of care for the elderly in Scotland, providing care to over 900 residents.
Balhousie Care prides itself on its person-centred approach to care. Putting people right at the forefront of everything they do; it’s inclusive of everyone. They capture this philosophy through the roll out of ‘Together We’re Great’, an initiative which recognises the skills, talents, attributes and support areas for each and every person involved in the organisation. Together We’re Great aims to value individuality and promote excellence across the organisation.
A Participation Charter – a first-of-its-kind in the care home sector – commits to residents getting a bigger say than ever in the care they receive, from writing care home policies to recruiting staff.
Balhousie Care Group is the recipient of numerous awards. These include three Scottish Care Awards, 2019 Growth Business and 2018 Service Business of the Year at The Courier Business Awards, 2019 Growth Business of the Year Perthshire Chamber of Commerce STAR Award, and SME Scotland Business Man of the Year 2019 for Chairman Tony Banks.
