GIBRALTAR Nursing Home in Monmouth recently marked World Bee Day with a day of gardening activities and bee-themed fun across the home.

The day, which centered around raising awareness of the importance of bees, brought family members (residents) and team members together to take part in shared projects and spend time outdoors.

Some team members dressed up as bees for the occasion, while others wore bright colours and floral patterns inspired by flowers and gardens. Home Manager Verity Walmsley even dressed up as a beekeeper.

Family members who chose to take part spent time in the home’s Pillars restaurant painting recycled bean and tomato tins from the kitchen after Maintenance Team Member Stephen carefully drilled drainage holes into them, transforming them into colourful garden platers.

Bee and inspect houses were also painted by family members and later placed throughout the home’s gardens and outdoor spaces, creating both decoration and new habitats for wildlife.

In the home’s greenhouse, sweet peas have been coming along nicely. Planted earlier in the spring by family members during one of the home’s ‘Sunshine and Soil’ gardening sessions, they were grown with plans to form part of a sensory teepee in the garden throughout the summer months.

The teepee was completed by the team for World Bee Day, with the sweet peas planted at the base ready to grow up around the structure, while bee and butterfly wildflower seeds were sown around the area to encourage pollinators and brighten the outdoor space for family members and visiting loved ones to enjoy.

The day became a continuation of something many family members already enjoy taking part in regularly.

Gardening- based occupation can support wellbeing and help people feel connected to nature, while keeping hands busy with activities that engage the senses, encourage focus and offer a sense of purpose.