Dave is our resident gardener at Astley Hall.
He tends our gardens with such love and care and all our staff and residents truly appreciate his hard work. With Spring in the air, we are starting to see splashes of colour, from the daffodils and crocuses that Dave planted as bulbs. The garden is coming to life again and we thought he deserved an article to himself, as a thank you and to tell you all about him.
Dave’s background
Born in Manchester in 1954, Dave has lived in Kidderminster all of his life. His first job was at Beakbane Ltd, a company specialising in machinery protection, whose factory is in Kidderminster. He worked there for 32 years as a rubber moulder, but unfortunately had to retire earlier than he wished. Dave has cerebral palsy, which is a condition that affects muscle control and movement.
Dave’s love of gardening began when he was young, helping his grandparents in their garden. He says of his later life “If I wasn’t working, I was either out in the garden or down the pub”. Describing his garden at home, he said “it was a very nice garden, full of flowers, fruit trees, and a greenhouse, where I loved to grow vegetables”.
Dave’s other passion is travel and he has been all over the world. He is very knowledgeable about his food and drink and has lots of tales to tell about his many trips.
Dave and Jayne
When Dave came to Astley
Some years ago, due to his cerebral palsy, Dave had to have a major operation on his back. This unfortunately left him unable to walk and in a wheelchair. Finding it difficult to cope at home, Dave came to live with us at Astley Hall, where we are delighted he has re-found his love of gardening.
When Dave first came to us, he needed total support and used an electric wheel chair. Dave is a fighter though, with great tenacity. He showed enormous resolve and joined in with every exercise class. Gradually, he built up the strength to wheel himself around the home and eventually out into the garden without any assistance. Now his exercise is mainly gardening and more often than not, he is outside, happily tending the gardens. He is our self-appointed resident gardener.
Raking the leaves
Dave tidying the remembrance garden
Bringing his expertise
We are beautifully positioned at Astley, with south facing gardens and stunning views. As a result of Dave’s hard work, there isn’t a blade of grass out of place. He raked the Autumn leaves from our lawns and planted Spring bulbs, which are now starting to flower. He has trimmed back the shrubs and plants in our serenity garden and more recently, he has tidied the remembrance garden. Dave’s wish is to have a greenhouse, so he can grow fruit and vegetables and make chutneys and jam.
Dave is looking forward to the Summer, his favourite time of year. The sensory garden is then at its best, with scented plants in full bloom and lots of birds and bees. It is a lovely time to just enjoy the garden, as he says “to potter and catch some rays”.
Astley gardens
Our sensory garden
His green fingered magic is very much appreciated by our residents, who have been making the most of breaks in the weather to get outside and enjoy the garden. They have picked some of the daffodils to decorate our home and we have switched on our stunning water feature. Mothering Sunday was a lovely sunny day to have walks in the sensory garden and Dave’s handiwork was much admired.
For more about our gardens and the sensory garden at Astley, click here https://www.heritagemanor.co.uk/2017/07/sensory-garden-astley-hall-dementia/
Thank you Dave for making the gardens at Astley Hall so beautiful.