Author: Isobel Wise

It’s one of the busiest times of the year for gardeners. As well as being active in the open air recently, we’ve also been busy behind the scenes and are happy to announce that we’ll be launching two new therapeutic garden initiatives soon. Read on for more about these – as well as the usual updates from our existing gardens.

Wellspring Settlement

The Alive Wellspring Settlement Community Gardening Group have had a busy season engaging with Avon Wildlife Trust’s Nextdoor Nature Officer Tay Aziz. Amongst other things we’ve done collaboratively, we all went on a beautiful trip to the harbourside to envision a greener future for the area surrounding SS Great Britain. 

Tay also recently hosted a fantastic community celebration event in our garden at the Settlement to thank local people for taking action for nature. Search #NextdoorNature on social media to learn more about Tay’s work, or visit this link.

Lawrence Weston Community Garden

Along with tending their flower beds and veg patches, the Lawrence Weston group have recently said an emotional farewell to Abi, who had been running the group for the last five years. Long-term volunteer Carmel has taken over facilitating sessions and is already doing a great job filling Abi’s shoes!

The group has been busy recently, planting up some beautiful terrariums and succulent dry gardens and learning about the flora and fauna of Lawrence Weston Moor.

They also enjoyed a fabulous homemade Strawberry Cream Tea and Elderflower Cordial party to celebrate Carmel’s last session as a volunteer. 

Brentry Allotment

We’ve been busy at the allotment over the last few months, with our participants creating their usual magic in the garden and some big corporate volunteer days making the place even more accessible and user-friendly.

We’ve been harvesting lots of sweet peas, cornflowers and veg this year – and have had a bumper harvest of blackcurrants which we’ll be making into jam to share soon.

We’d also like to thank everyone who’s helped make our allotment more accessible. We now have a dazzling (literally – it’s very yellow!) new wheelchair-friendly car park surface and path and three new raised beds!

Two New Ventures from Alive

We are thrilled to announce we’ll be opening a new dementia-friendly community allotment in South Bristol soon. The plot is at Talbot Road Allotments on the border of Knowle and Brislington, and we’re hoping to start sessions there in Spring ’24. We were joined by Alive staff recently to begin getting the space shipshape – and to enjoy some fresh air in a beautiful spot surrounded by trees and birdsong.

Before that, though, in September, we will launch a weekly gardening session for patients in the dementia ward at BRI Hospital, which has a beautiful courtyard garden. We will be looking for volunteers to support this central Bristol session, so please let us know if you would like to get involved.

The Hoppiness Project

Our project growing hops with Deerhurst Care Home enjoyed a trip to a brewery recently for a tour and to sample some beer.

We want to thank Michael at Wiper and True, who made us feel incredibly welcome at their state-of-the-art brewery, uber-accessible brewery and tap room in Old Market.

Michael gave us a brewery tour and then let us sample some of their beers. 

Meanwhile, the hop plant is growing well, and we look forward to harvesting the cones soon!

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Visit the community gardens page on our website for more info about all our existing, green-fingered projects.

Don’t forget you can keep up with all the latest from our gardening team via their social media channels. We’re @ALIVEgardening everywhere.

Celebrating the important milestones of Windrush 75 and the festivities of St Paul’s Carnival, the Bristol Elders Groups have been busy.

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Marking 75 years since the Empire Windrush arrived in Britain, the Elders came together to celebrate the contributions, sacrifices, and achievements of the Windrush Generation and their descendants. There was a concert with the wonderful Renewal Choir and events at Bristol Museum and a photography exhibition at Commonwealth House.

The St Paul’s Carnival followed at the weekend with the Elders enjoying a brunch hosted by the one and only Levi Roots and an amazing view of the carnival procession from the Malcolm X Centre balcony.

The sun shone down on all the joyous celebrations!

Catch up with Project Manager, Julie, on what has been a busy few months!

Creative Wellbeing Project with BME Elders

The Creative Wellbeing Project with the Malcolm X and Golden Agers groups has continued to be enjoyed. The aim of this collaborative project is to identify ways in which participants can connect with, express and explore their emotions through engagement with a variety of art materials to create their own individual ‘Bowls of Well-being’. These have evolved to represent their individual personalities and reflect their own unique ways to build mental health resilience.

I’ve really enjoyed the project, it’s made me think about what’s important to me and it’s been great to learn a creative skill I never thought I had!

– PROJECT MEMBER

Workshops with Mendip Vale Medical Practice

Liaison with the Social Prescribing Team at Mendip Vale Medical Practice has resulted in:

• Facilitation of an interactive session to members of the Yatton Lifestyle and Well-being Club on building a ‘Resilience Skill Set’ on Thursday 25th May.

• Facilitation of 2 x workshops focusing on Building Resilience and Emotional Well-being within the community. These were held at Clevedon Library, North Somerset. The first session concentrated on managing stress and frustrations and in the second session we looked at ways in which to improve low mood as well as creative ways of problem-solving.

• These two stand alone workshops are also scheduled to be held at Southmead and Henbury Medical Practice on Tuesday 15th August, 2-4pm and Tuesday 19th September, 2-4pm, courtesy of Mendip Vale Medical Practice.

Sharing ideas in person is different and better than reading and learning on your own, the session helps to break emotions down in a way that is very understandable and feels like it could be very applicable in day to day life.

– WORKSHOP ATTENDEE

Partnerships with Age UK and Trinity Centre

The aim of our monthly ‘Creative Wellbeing’ Workshops at the Trinity Centre is to bring local residents and members from the asylum seeker and refugee community together to celebrate their different cultures and encourage new connections through the use of creative expression and engagement in a variety of art projects. The remaining two sessions are planned for Monday 14th August and Monday 4th September, 2 – 4 pm.

I didn’t realise how useful art would be in helping me not only understand how I’m feeling at the moment, but also showing me what I feel I need to do next.

– WORKSHOP ATTENDEE

Carers’ Workshops

Following the success of the Carers’ Workshops at North Somerset Dementia Meeting Centre, similar courses are being held at both Bristol and South Gloucestershire Dementia Meeting Centres. You can read about them here.

Alive on Demand Community is a great new feature to stay connected in what can often be quite a lonely job. With AoD Community, you can share ideas, discuss things that have worked particularly well in your home and boast about themed days/activities with people you may otherwise not be able to.

Are you part of a Care Group?

We can add private channels to give you the chance to share ideas internally, without the rest of the community seeing. This is a great way for staff across your group to remain in contact, pick up ideas if they are new to the role and run care group-wide activity themes. 

Are you an at-home user?

Chat and connect with other AoD members all over the UK. Share your thoughts, build up networks, and bond over your favourites.

Try it out here.

Continuing their series of day trips, events, and visits, here’s what the South Gloucestershire Dementia Meeting Centre groups have been up to so far this summer.

Setting Sail

With the weather (somewhat) on our side, our members, staff and volunteers headed off to Bristol’s famous floating harbour.

Life jackets on, they were ready to go! Thanks to the kind team at All-Aboard Water Sports, everyone was able to enjoy a cruise around the docks on the wheelchair-friendly boat with the Captain treating us to a historic tour, pointing out local landmarks and giving time for our members to talk and ask questions.

Having built up an appetite, after sailing we headed to The Cottage Inn on Bristol Harbourside for some delicious food. Everyone had a lovely day!

Tickets, Please!

June saw us enjoying another mode of transport; this time, a train! Joining North Somerset Meeting Centre, we hopped aboard the Avon Valley Railway for some fun on the tracks.

Sharing stories of days out on trains, trips to the West End, family excursions, and holidays further afield, the day was filled with excitement and conversation between our members.

Looking out at the wonderful scenery, we all agreed that steam trains are a wonderful way to travel and ended the day with an afternoon tea.

Celebrating the ever-growing family of Dementia Meeting Centres across the UK, our members were set a challenge by the Association for Dementia Studies: to design and create squares for a Meeting Centre blanket!

Comprising of squares from members nationwide, the blanket will form together to create a wonderful representation of the work Meeting Centres do. Inspired by what our Meeting Centres mean to them, our members got creative using a variety of techniques from collage to crochet!

Speaking of the feelings, hope, and support our members enjoy at our Meeting Centre groups, their blanket squares include heart-warming details like forget-me-not flowers (a symbol long-associated with dementia) and a dinner party-like setting inspired by what one carer said of the Meeting Centre, “eating together is like a family”.

A huge thank you to the Association for Dementia Studies at Worcester University and Dr Jennifer Bray for getting us involved. Keep a look out for the finished blanket coming soon.

Ahead of the 75th Anniversary of the HMT Empire Windrush arriving in Britain, we’re honoured to share the below piece from friend of Alive, Roger Griffith MBE.

Social activist, author of ‘From the Windrush to The White House’, UWE Lecturer & Engagement Officer, and CEO of Creative Connex CIC, Roger has been organising events for the elders to celebrate events like Windrush for several years and has been an avid supporter of the Bristol BME Elders Groups.

Windrush signifies a key moment in British history and is a symbol of the people that emigrated from the West Indies and latterly the Commonwealth. The arrival of the passengers, filing off the boat smartly dressed in their ‘Sunday best’ in suits and ties, dresses, frocks and hats, is an important landmark and generates great pride. The Windrush Generation refers to people arriving in Britain between 1948 and 1971 and their latter-day descendants. 

Today their impact can be seen in equality laws, the NHS, culture, business, sport and more, reaping plentiful rewards for Britain through the generations. Enduring racism remains in policing and education as well as wealth and health inequality gaps. Windrush 75 however provides an opportunity to commemorate the sacrifice and celebrate the achievements of the brave pioneers. 

Roger Griffith MBE, (Hon Art.D.) Honorary Doctor of Arts

Marking the milestone in history and helping to spark conversation about the past, present, and future of British multi-ethic society, Roger will be giving an online talk on Windrush Day – delving into the rich and significant history of the Windrush Generation.

‘Windrush Through the Generations’ | Thursday 22nd June 11:30
Book your free place here.

We have also previously been partners in an animation celebrating the Windrush pioneers which you can watch here.

At Alive, we know it’s important to reflect on the goodness and kindness of those who make a difference to the lives of others. And with it being Volunteers’ Week 2023, we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the 70+ volunteers at Alive who have been unwavering in their commitment to supporting older people through meaningful activity sessions.

Bringing joy, compassion, creativity and a sense of purpose to the lives of older people, their dedication makes a tangible difference, uplifting spirits and reminding older individuals that they are cherished and never alone.

From arts and crafts to music, gardening and reminiscing sessions, our volunteers cultivate an environment where our participants feel safe and welcome, where they can relive special memories, forge new friendships, and share their interests and skills. The warm and caring presence of our volunteers helps to foster genuine connections and emotional support, helping our participants feel valued and understood. They not only bring practical assistance but also a renewed sense of confidence and independence to our participants.

Our volunteers currently support our Dementia Meeting Centres, our social and therapeutic horticulture sessions in care homes and community gardens, and our intergenerational sessions – bringing school children and care home residents together. They also help us fulfil wishes of older people in care through our Wishing Washing Line West project. Our volunteers Mary, Christine and Lewis have shared what it’s like to volunteer with us here.

To our volunteers we want to say a huge THANK YOU from the whole team. We couldn’t do what we do without you. Let’s create many more moments of joy together and #LightUpLaterLife.

We were delighted to have been awarded a grant of £57,892 from the Masonic Charitable Foundation to continue running supported gardening sessions at our dementia-friendly allotment. The grant will enable us to support lots more older people, including those living with dementia and their carers, providing opportunities to get out in the fresh air, meet people and make new friends, whilst enjoying nature and growing our own fruit, veg and flowers. A huge thank you to the Masonic Charitable Foundation for their wonderful support!

We’ve also been awarded a wonderful 3-year grant from the Rayne Foundation – a substantial £20,000/year towards our core costs! This funding will make a huge difference, enabling us to continue to deliver our services and support for older people and their carers. Again, a massive thank you to the Rayne Foundation for their ongoing support.

We’re also extremely grateful to the Quartet Community Foundation, St Monica Trust, The Grateful Society, The Anchor Society, and the John James Bristol Foundation for their incredible support of our BME Elders Health and Wellbeing project. We’ve been awarded a total of £48,911 to continue to support older people from BME communities in Bristol – who attend the Malcolm X, Golden Agers, and Evergreens elders groups. Thank you very much!

Hear from our lovely Bristol Dementia Meeting Centre Manager, Sally, on what the group has been up to this quarter.

Making A Difference

Members and carers worked together to create products to sell at our fabulous Spring Fundraising Bazaar earlier in March. Our mini social enterprise group helped us raise a whopping £320, with the day being a roaring success by all accounts. Really enjoying the chance to give something back to their local community, our members have really enjoyed events like this – not only helping to strengthen feelings of inclusion but helping others to realise that the group have so much to offer too! Members have also helped to prepare lunch tables, set up activities and attend to re-cycling duties – keeping our Centre tidy and supporting independent living skills at the same time.

Getting Out and About

The benefits of fresh air and exercise cannot be over emphasised! Our members love visiting old haunts and places that hold special memories. Our visit to Bristol’s historic harbour provided members with an opportunity to see how the city has changed and make an emotional connection to former times in their lives that they might have forgotten. It enables them to maintain and develop their personal identity.

Maintaining Strength and Balance

We know that keeping physically active can help reduce falls. Making exercise enjoyable, has been key to getting everyone involved. Seated dance-style exercise sessions, balloon tennis, and ball skills have been very popular and have helped members improve co-ordination, stay active and above all have fun!