The garden, at Grosvenor Manor care centre in Chester, was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Chester, Councillor Sherin Akhtar, who attended alongside Father Paul Shaw from St Werburgh’s Roman Catholic Parish.
Councillor Akhtar said: “This really has been a whole community effort and the result is a stunning new communal outdoor space for all to enjoy.
“It has clearly taken many hours of hard work to create the garden and is testament to what can be achieved when communities pull together.
“Everyone should be very pleased with their efforts.”
The garden was the brainchild of Grosvenor Manor’s wellbeing team, led by senior wellbeing co-ordinator Lisa Forth and assistant Siobhan Rands, who reached out to schools, community organisations, and individuals to help bring the project to life.
Support poured in from all corners of the community, with people offering time, expertise, and equipment.
The British Army and Royal Navy contributed to the design and construction, alongside Cheshire Police and the Salvation Army.
Schools also played a big role, with Bishops’ High School creating a stage area and “rock” garden to reflect the care home’s love of music and live entertainment.
The King’s School led residents in watercolour painting sessions, with the finished artworks now displayed in the garden.
Kids Planet Nursery developed an allotment area where children can grow potatoes for homemade chips, and pupils from Cherry Grove Primary School planted a cherry tree.
Therapy Dogs Nationwide’s Janet and Bronte the dog joined residents in painting plant pots during their regular “paws crafting” sessions.
Father Shaw gave a blessing before the garden was formally opened by the Lord Mayor.
Ms Forth said: “At Grosvenor Manor we have some beautiful outside space that we enjoy making the most of and already had a wellbeing walking path that finished around the back of the home.
“It was a lovely and natural space, but nothing particularly special until we reached out to our wonderful local community and invited everyone together to create a fabulous space that could be enjoyed by all.
“Our fully inclusive community garden has been developed and created by the local community, not only for the wellbeing of our residents, but for the wellbeing and enjoyment of the whole community.
“Our residents have enjoyed watching and supporting all involved, but we don’t stop here, this is an ongoing project and we look forward to welcoming everyone into the home to tend to their parts of the garden and enjoy spending time here.”
Ms Rands said she was proud of how far the project had come.
She said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing this project grow from a grassed area to the beautiful garden that we see today.
“It has been a lot of planning, speaking to our nursing residents to establish what they wanted in the garden and reaching out to local schools and other organisations to pull it together.
“Each section has been made with love and attention to detail and blends well as one garden overall and will only bloom further with everyone’s shared love and passion.
“I feel extremely proud to lead this project that was given to me as a challenge and that it is the start of something incredible.”
Ms Forth praised Ms Rands’ dedication and vision.
She said: “I am extremely proud of Siobhan’s efforts and achieving such an amazing garden.
“From the little seeds of an idea planted, it has blossomed into something truly amazing.”