Work continues on our plans for the sensory garden at The Gardeners' House - our colleagues at the Sensory Trust visited Jane Darke and Andrew Tebbs this month to find out more about the community art workshops they are running and how they will inform the sensory garden design.
Helen Rosevear from the Sensory Trust spent the day with Jane and Andrew at their workshop and local archive in the magical Tregona Chapel in North Cornwall, talking about the workshops they've run so far and exploring the art created by the participants.
Artists Jane Darke and Andrew Tebbs are working with the community to create designs inspired by illustrations and objects from the archive. Local craftspeople will then be commissioned to recreate these designs in stone, metal and wood that will feature in the Sensory Garden.
The Sensory Trust is an important part of our plans for the garden. They are helping us create a plant-rich space that is accessible, inclusive and offers diverse sensory experiences for all our local community.
Helen said: "'There's so much wonderful work coming from the community workshops. It's very inspiring, and I'm massively enjoying working with Jane and Andrew to integrate the community-inspired artwork into the garden design."
The Sensory Garden - made possible by generous funding from the Tanner Phoenix Trust through the Cornwall Community Fund - will be created in the area between the Gardeners’ House and Pengarth Day Centre.
It will offer a safe space where people can reconnect with nature and hopes to enhance the lives of people who are often excluded from outdoor places, including older people and those living with dementia.
We will develop a range of people and plant-based activities including a Social and Therapeutic Horticulture programme to bring our heritage alive, reaching children right through to elders with particular focus on benefits for local dementia patients and users of the Pengarth Day Centre.
