A Garden Club organised by a retirement housing development in Wishaw is set for a major boost after it raised £400 from its first coffee morning earlier this month.

Tenants at Greenlawn Court, a Bield Retirement Housing development, established their Garden Club in June, after agreeing they missed working in their own backyards and wanted to get back into gardening.

Now the money raised at the coffee morning, combined with an additional grant from Bield and the support of North Lanarkshire Council will help to further improve the garden at Greenlawn Court. There are plans to set up a tool shed, vegetable garden and seating area.

Retirement Housing Manager, Lynn McQueen, said she is blown away by how this project has enriched the lives of the tenants at Greenlawn Court.

“The Garden Club gives all our tenants the opportunity to get involved in the local community.  Those with limited mobility help out by giving encouragement and advice.”

“It’s all the work of the tenants and they’ve certainly helped bring this community together.  We had people come to the coffee morning who had never set foot in the development before which really made all their time spent posting flyers through doors worthwhile.” 

The coffee morning was sponsored by the local Homebase store, which was approached by the Garden Club for donations.  The Wishaw store donated a range of items including hanging baskets, plants, bulbs, an apple tree and a bird table as well as sponsoring the event.

Local artist, Pamela McLaughlin, a close friend of one of the tenants at Greenlawn Court, also played her part by donating one of her paintings for auction.

The success of the coffee morning has inspired the Garden Club members, who are now planning a range of events, including a competition to see who can grow the tallest sunflower after club member and tenant, Mrs Beatrice Wallace, grew a sunflower 260cm tall earlier this year.

Bield’s housing and care is designed especially with the older person in mind and offers different types of housing including care, amenity and retirement housing designed to suit people with varying needs.

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