For many people, the humble garden is their happy place. Gardeners find cultivating plants, growing their own produce and seeing flowers in bloom to be the best kind of therapy.
As a keen gardener, Billy Allen found it tough to say goodbye to his patch of paradise when he moved into Milngavie Manor a few months ago. But, thanks to thoughtful staff, his green fingers won't be going to waste. Instead, he's becoming the guardian of the Milngavie Manor greenhouse.
"Our greenhouse stood empty before Billy arrived, so we gave it to him to make his own," explains Arlene Harrison, Milngavie Manor's Leisure & Wellbeing Officer. "Billy got straight to work, sorting out exactly what he wanted to grow in there and getting everything ship-shape. It's only been a few months and he's already grown tomatoes, courgettes and cucumbers - all of which are used in our kitchen to make meals we can all enjoy together."
As well as providing delicious produce for other residents to feast on, Billy has also been able to pass on his knowledge to younger generations. Milngavie Manor often plays host to a nursery class who enjoy spending time with Billy and finding out about what he's growing.
"Billy is a lovely and generous man who always has time for the children," says Arlene. "He is a fountain of knowledge about gardening and the little ones love to explore the greenhouse with him.
"Hopefully, he can inspire them to get involved in gardening themselves and put what he teaches them to good use.
"Making sure that residents can continue to live the lives they want and keep enjoying their favourite pastimes is vitally important to the team here. Through getting to know each new resident, we work hard to discover all the things that make them happy and then facilitate opportunities for them to do those activities."
"Stories like Billy's will hopefully inspire other residents to have a think about what they'd like to do and find out if we can help them fulfil those aspirations," says Home Manager Susan Mcelhinney Leung. "My team are delighted when they get the chance to enhance a resident's day-to-day life. "We've got plenty of space here, both indoors and outside, so it's great for our residents to make full use of it."
