Residents at Ashbrook Court Care Home, in Waltham Abbey were buzzing with excitement as they celebrated World Bee Day alongside pupils from High Beech Primary School in Epping Forest.
Throughout the day, residents, children and team members enjoyed a range of hands-on activities including honey tasting, planting bee-friendly plants and flowers, such as lavender and perennials, and placing bee hotels around the home’s gardens.
Ashbrook Court, is an established 70-bedroom home on Sewardstone Road, offering nursing, residential and specialist dementia care. The experienced clinical team, including clinical deputy, Valentina Babych and clinical lead, Tracy Bobin, provide specialist nursing care for adults living with a wide range of chronic conditions, including those living with complex needs.
The home takes sustainability seriously and organised the day to bring residents and the local community together while raising awareness about protecting pollinators and wildlife.
Resident Rita Williams, 84, who moved into Ashbrook Court just under two years ago said, “It’s just so lovely to all come together and do things like this, I like being around people.
“The children were brilliant. They loved the honey and made everyone smile. Bees are very important and we’ll enjoy continuing to look after the plants and spending time in the garden when the weather is nice.”
Resident Pat Breen, 87, who moved into the home earlier this year said: “The garden makes everyone smile, especially when the sun is out. The bees are always around when there are flowers and I like having flowers for them. The children had such a lot of fun.”
One of the home’s newest residents, Toby-Jean Levene, 90, who moved in just a few weeks ago, was also among those taking part in the activities.
“I’m happy to help take care of the plants to help the bees when the weather is a bit warmer,” she said.
“I love honey especially on toast and it’s even better when its bought local. The children are brilliant, they keep us all young, and I was glad to show them all how I stay fit with my exercises.”
The home, which is rated Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) prides itself on its strong community links and family feel, led by an established team.
Residents and children sampled honey from a local beekeeper, including lemon-infused honey and tried it with different foods such as fresh fruit, toast and granola bars. They also enjoyed a presentation about bees and the opportunity to see a honeycomb up close. The event was hosted in the home’s garden and bistro and individual visits were also made to nursing residents in their bedrooms so they could join in.
The home’s lifestyle coordinator, Lorna Morey was among those who helped to organise the day.
“Sustainability is incredibly important to us here at Ashbrook Court,” she said. “We are committed to supporting local wildlife and that includes respecting the important work bees do for our planet. They play such a crucial role, and the day was also about raising awareness of the need to protect them and their habitats.
“We’ve loved having the children share the day with us. They were fantastic with our residents and showed them such kindness, patience and respect. The residents were absolutely in their element having them here and maintaining that sense of community.
“We always want to support residents to live with purpose, and initiatives like this really do help to do that. It’s important that residents feel part of wider conversations around sustainability, especially when so many of them have always loved gardening and wildlife. We love being able to continue that passion here and help them share it with the next generation.”
Ashbrook Court hosts activities throughout the year that reflect its sustainability values. The home recently celebrated Earth Day in April and will also mark World Environment Day in June.
Home manager, Vicky Parsons, said, “It’s been a fascinating day, and we’ve all learnt so much, including that there are over 20,000 different species of bees worldwide and that bee hotels provide important shelter for them.
“We also made it a really fun occasion with some fancy dress, which everyone loved, and each child left with honeycomb and planting seeds to take home for their own gardens.
“We’ll really enjoy watching our bee hotels and bee friendly plants grow and evolve over the coming months.”
