Celebrity gardener Matthew Biggs judges Carebase Gardening Challenge

Carebase care homes have run a hotly contested gardening competition across its group of homes in the South East and East Anglia.

The 'Gardening Challenge', organised by the care home group as a way to encourage residents to become active and increase their physical and mental wellbeing.

“The gardens were of exceptional standard and all the homes efforts stood out in their own way,” said celebrity gardener Matthew Biggs, who presented the award on Friday 4th July. “Gardens has been transformed with the help of the whole community,” said Matthew, a panel member of BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time and former co-presenter of Channel 4’s much loved Garden Club.

“We are delighted to have participated in this friendly competition,” said Jane Sadowski, General Manager.  “Our approach was to involve the whole community in the project – with almost everyone in our neighbourhood having some involvement, from the police and the fire brigade through to local builders and a nearby hotel and supermarket.  We were also delighted to have the help of three local primary schools in the design process!