Residents joined staff at an extra care hoe to give new life to patio furniture.

Residents at Castleham Lodge, an extra care housing scheme in Okehampton run by The Guinness Partnership housing association, benefitted from an ‘action day’ to transform the scheme’s communal outdoor seating areas.

Building on a partnership, Guinness residents and staff joined forces with contractors from Novus Property Services to revitalise the scheme’s benches, patio tables and chairs. armed with paint and brushes.

A patio tilting parasol and cover was also provided by Novus and a water butt fitted to collect rainwater and make it easier for residents to water the plants. Currently, they have to carry heavy water cans.

Cups of tea and coffee flowed throughout the day, and once all the hard work was complete and the paint was dry, they could all sit back and enjoy their new seating area.

One of the residents said: “I enjoyed planting in the garden, it makes me happy. I feel valued and supported.”

Lilyana Bowell, Health and Wellbeing Co-ordinator from The Guinness Partnership said: “I would like to thank everyone, especially the staff from Novus, who came along to support our gardening ‘action day’. It's projects like this that make a real difference for our residents’ wellbeing, and it was a fun and productive day.”

Katie Clarke from Novus Property Solutions added: “It was fantastic to be part of such a community-focused day, with so many residents getting involved and taking the time to speak with us. Seeing and hearing first-hand the positive impact that donations and action days like this have on residents, makes the work we do even more worthwhile.”

Under Novus’ social value commitment, more outdoor seating will also soon be available for residents and visitors to enjoy the garden spaces.