Our Gardening Club at Mary Ann Evans Hospice Create Sensory Garden

Our gardening club at Mary Ann Evans Hospice in Nuneaton is not just about cultivating beautiful plants, but also about cultivating healing and connection. Our incredible volunteers, who are experiencing bereavement themselves, have come together to create a nurturing space where they can find solace and support while tending to the garden.

The gardening group put in a lot of effort this month, preparing and planting raised beds to create a sensory area around the garden’s seating space. Their first task was to weed and dig the beds, which took some time due to the hard soil in one of them. Once the beds were ready, they carefully placed and planted various herbs and plants, including thyme, lavender, mint, honeysuckle, strawberries, and grasses. It was a true team effort.

In addition to the sensory planting, the group also tended to their potatoes, which are thriving and expected to yield a good crop.

As always, the session was fuelled by tea and cake. Well done, everyone!


“Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful Sensory Garden in such a short time, it looks great. The therapeutic benefits for our clients who are accessing this group are wonderful so thank you for all your efforts and support to make the group such a success. It's nice to see a few new faces amongst the regulars”

- Vicky Grage, Family Support and Bereavement Services Team Lead


“I can’t believe one week ago we were discussing our sensory garden and one week later you have created a fantastic garden. I would like to thank you on behalf of everybody here and for all our patients and clients who will enjoy this space in years to come”

- Lisa Perrins, Clinical Services Operational Lead


“Just to say again a huge thank you for the support you have given to the sensory garden, and to the gardening group too. We are amazed that within a week of meeting to discuss this you have managed to create such a fantastic masterpiece that patients, clients, and staff will enjoy. We cannot wait to see the garden grow! Thank you from everyone at Mary Ann Evans Hospice”

- Nicky Dunn, Team Lead Marketing and Income Generation