Hospice News

Patient Care Stories

Our Day Services groups are designed to provide a therapeutic environment, allowing patients to improve confidence, learn new skills, make friends, as well as provide the support they need when living with an incurable illness.

For the last four weeks, we've been running a spring gardening group for people attending our Day Services here at the Hospice in Brentry. Once a week for a total of six weeks, patients get to learn and try out gardening activities in small groups. Sessions have included sowing sweet peas, making wildflower seed bombs and planting houseplant cuttings into a succulent bowl.

We spoke to Anneke, our Hospice Gardener, who has been leading the gardening groups.

"People have been really keen to do it. They like to learn, and it makes people interested in their own garden. It shows the power of plants and having a green space.

"We've been doing a range of activities including arrangements, growing cut flowers and seed sowing. It's great because they get to learn something new. We had someone come along who was 89 and left the group having learnt a new skill."

Anneke says that in the group, they regularly make things that can be used both in the Hospice Garden and taken home. "During one of our groups, we did a spring flower arrangement. People can take them home and brighten up their space."

Pamela, one of the group participants, says the gardening group is her favourite. "I'm 82 and I'm still learning. I started out doing the Fatigue and Breathlessness course in Knowle, then I did the Living Well course and now I'm doing the craft and gardening groups in Brentry.

"In the last session we did succulents in a glass bowl, I was so pleased with it. I've loved doing the gardening and crafts here."

Day Services