Sally Hancox
‘Rose Cottage’ Outdoor Mural in Care Home Garden
This is a big project I was working on in the autumn that I’ve finally got around unveiling to the internet! Here’s how it happened:
At the dementia care home where I am an Activities Coordinator, they built a new shed for storing various shed stuff. It was very white and they said they would clad it wood-coloured and we said “let us paint it!” I drew 2 sketches, one woodland and one of a cottage and the cottage won the popular vote.
I got out some of our big gardening books to look through the plants and discuss with the resident which kinds of flowers they preferred. This is what we came up with:
- Sunflowers
- Hollyhocks
- Roses
- Clematis
- Verbena
- Foxgloves
- Fuscia
Then we also wanted to include some animals, Duke! our German Shepherd/husky cross who visits us regularly and is everybody’s favourite. Cats! butterflies, rabbits and squirrels. I ignored my husband’s suggestion of an upside-down horse.(?!)
The weather was fine when we started painting (in October) so many residents stopped by to join in. Other residents preferred to watch from a garden chair or inside the warmth of the conservatory. Our regular volunteer John very helpfully offered to paint the window frames and climbed up the big ladder to do the bit along the top. I grabbed members of staff too as they were passing to colour a leaf or three. It was a good topic for conversation too, and I made sure to ask everyone what the colour for the front door should be and finally the name of the cottage. It was running neck and neck for a while there with “Sweet memories cottage” but “Rose Cottage” won in the end.
