Redmount Residential Home

What a wild month the staff and residents of Redmount Residential Home in Buckfastleigh, Devon, have had! They created art from recycled resources to consciously support the environment, foraged for wild materials, wandered around local wild spots, pressed flowers, identified insects and shared wild words of wisdom to help others care for nature.

Residents have taken an active role in caring for nature around them, which has inspired so many wonderful conversations between them, as well as with loved ones and staff members. During June many told us they felt increased sense of well-being - the challenge of 30 Days Wild has inspired and engrossed residents from all walks of life. Some commented how lovely it has been to be outside with purpose; and they have become true custodians of the wild.

Summer Fields Care Home

The residents of Summer Fields Care Home in Rock Ferry, Birkenhead, have made the most of their outdoor spaces during the warmer weather of June – and even on rainier days, too! Staff and residents have tended to their garden, created wild collages and art works, fed the birds and pressed wildflowers, amongst other things. Exploring their garden in the rain gave some residents a whole new perspective of their wilder spots. Perhaps most importantly, participating in 30 Days Wild has given residents a shared sense of belonging. 

Coming together to embrace nature has been a wonderful experience for residents, giving them the chance to relive wilder memories from years gone by while making new memories together.

Langwith Lodge Residential Home

The staff and residents of Langwith Lodge Residential Home, Nether Langwith, Nottinghamshire, look forward to 30 Days Wild every year, although they embrace nature during every season. 

Nestled within its own parkland with a lake, butterfly garden, orchard and wooded areas, Langwith Lodge is the perfect place to go wild. This June residents have embraced gardening, adding pollinator-friendly plants to their already-wild areas. 

Staff and residents alike have enjoyed more mealtimes outside to listen to the music of nature all around them, with plenty of opportunities for stories about wild childhoods. 

These moments are so special, as residents recall the things that have been important to them – and so many of their stories involve wildlife. Staff regularly notice improved well-being during these moments with nature, and the home’s involvement in ‘every day wild’ doesn’t look set to end any time soon.

Cedar Court Dementia Care Home and Cedar Court Nursing Home

Located on the edge of the Derbyshire countryside in Bretby, just a meander away from fields, woodlands and farm paddocks, Cedar Court Dementia Care Home and Cedar Court Nursing Home are blessed when it comes to access to nature. This year’s 30 Days Wild has been no different, with wild activities galore. Residents have even embarked upon a sunflower growing competition, allowing them to show off their competitive sides. 

Residents with limited mobility have been supported to access a range of activities that bring them closer to nature, which is so important for their continued mental and physical well-being. Those with dementia, meanwhile, have engaged in opportunities that are reminiscent of moments from childhood or early adulthood. Every moment spent in nature is treasured.

Abbey Court Nursing and Residential Home

Despite their city-centre location the staff and residents of Abbey Court Nursing and Residential Home in Derby have not let 30 Days Wild pass them by. Over the last few weeks staff and residents have enjoyed paying close attention to the things they can spot in and around their garden, as well as taking care of some very special guests – ten painted lady caterpillars. 

As 30 Days Wild has progressed so too have the butterflies, as they transformed first from caterpillars into chrysalises, and then began to hatch as butterflies. 

Willowdale Residential Home

Themed activities have included making hanging baskets to attract pollinators, building bird boxes and bug hotels, growing cress seed egg heads, taking wild wanders around the gardens to spot creatures such as toads and ladybirds, cloud spotting and gardening. 

Residents have loved spending time outside as the weather has improved, although they have also enjoyed rainy day walks to spot puddles and notice the tiny differences that raindrops can bring. Activities have been tailored for indoor and outdoor fun, with one common theme: enjoyment of nature. 

This time spent thinking about, encouraging and protecting wildlife has been so important for residents sense of belonging, inspiring some wonderful conversations. We are never too old to take notice, or to enjoy every moment that nature has to offer.

Rider House Nursing Home

The residents of Rider House Nursing Home, Stapenhill, Staffordshire are renowned for their artistic flair, and the opportunities provided by 30 Days Wild have been no different. Residents have loved immortalising their experiences with nature in all kinds of mediums, including collages, drawings, clay printing, jigsaws and flower arranging. Each moment is shared, enjoyed and then captured forever for residents to display and discuss.

Other wild activities this June have included a musical afternoon during which every song was inspired by nature, strolls in the garden, planting and memory games. Residents were encouraged to memorise wild items on a nature table, before recalling them one by one as items were removed (pictured). 

These kinds of valuable activities have not just supported physical and mental health and cognition, but brought residents closer to nature, too. Located next to a woodland and close to a river, there has been no shortage of wild encounters for residents, who regularly see foxes, badgers, hedgehogs, squirrels and even deer in their garden.

The Grange and Elm Court

Staff and residents at The Grange and Elm Court in Barnsley, Yorkshire, have once again enjoyed participating in 30 Days Wild this year. Wild activities included outdoor armchair exercises, walks around a nearby nature reserve, making mint tea from homegrown mint leaves, creating a bee bath for pollinators and plenty of gardening opportunities. 

Residents love to spend time outside all year around, whatever the weather, and take great pride in their garden.