ON HER MAJESTY’S SERVICE

APPOINTED AS THE QUEENS REPRESENTATIVE, TIM COX, THE LORD LIEUTENANT OF WARWICKSHIRE, CAME TO MEET MR & MRS LEWIS, WELLESBOURNE RESIDENTS & REGULAR VISITORS TO OSCARS, OUR DEMENTIA-FRIENDLY PLOT.

TIM WAS ACCOMPANIED ON HIS VISIT BY REV. BARRY DUGMORE, THE ARCHDEACON MISSIONER IN THE DIOCESE OF COVENTRY & REV. GREG BARTLEM OF ST PETER’S CHURCH.

TOGETHER, WITH OSCARS CO-ORDINATOR, HEATHER BROWN AND OUR CHAIR, IAN HOPE, THEY SPENT A FEW HOURS ON A BRIGHT SUNNY AFTERNOON IN LATE SEPTEMBER TO DISCUSS THE BENEFITS & PROGRESS OF THIS UNIQUE & THERAPEUTIC SPACE ON OUR SITE

MOST RECENTLY SUPPORTED BY A GRANT FROM THE DISTRICT COUNCIL, THE PLOT NOW HAS TWO NEW BENCHES TO PROVIDE THE ADDITIONAL SEATING NEEDED & SIGNIFIES THE END OF INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS OF THE PLOT.

PIVOTAL TO PROGRESSING WELLESBOURNE’S AMBITION TO BE WARWICKSHIRE’S FIRST DEMENTIA-FRIENDLY VILLAGE, OSCARS HAS REQUIRED A SUSTAINED EFFORT BY MANY PLOT HOLDERS, TO TRANSFORM IT FROM A BARE PATCH OF LAND IN 2018 INTO THE GLORIOUSLY COLOURFUL & TRANQUIL SPACE THAT IT IS NOW.

ALL OF US HAS SEEN THE SHEER DEDICATION SHOWN BY HEATHER BROWN IN PLANTING, PRUNING & WATERING THE PLOT OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.

THE OFFICIAL OPENING TOOK PLACE IN AUGUST 2019, JUST 12 MONTHS AFTER WORK BEGAN ON THE PLOT

THIS HAS BEEN A LABOUR OF LOVE FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED. ATTRACTING OVER £3,000 IN GRANTS & DONATIONS &, REQUIRING 500 VOLUNTEER HOURS TO DEVELOP.

THE PLOT HAS RECEIVED CONSIDERABLE SUPPORT FROM OUR LOCAL PARISH COUNCIL.

ALONGSIDE OUR JOSEPH ARCH CELEBRATIONS, OSCARS GARDEN WAS A KEY FEATURE MATT BAKER EXPLORED IN THE BBC COUNTRYFILE PROGRAMME ON WELLESBOURNE ALLOTMENTS.

MORE RECENTLY, BENEFICIARIES ARE NOW SIGNPOSTED TO OSCARS THROUGH HEIDI WILLIAMS, THE COMMUNITY PRACTICE NURSE, AS PART OF THE SOCIAL PRESCRIBING PROGRAMME AT HASTINGS HOUSE MEDICAL CENTRE.