Devonport House

Lynden popped into the homeless world cup yesterday and saw england and wales both win... it's an amazing set up that the whole of Cardiff is talking about... the stands were full for all three pitches and everyone was cheering throughout the games. Great sportsmanship all around and I would say that there must have been 2 or 3 thousand people there!!!

Some more pics from Friday at the Horticultural Therapy Trust.org. A couple of weeks ago, we were wondering what was going on with the sunflowers - now they have shot up and are in full bloom like sentries around the site. In the wild flower garden the teazle is keeping the bees busy. In the tunnel, the morning glory originally propagated by a participant two years ago has self-seeded again for the second time, a reminder of his enjoyment of the project and the part that it played in his recovery. Elsewhere, the Nigella, Echinacea, lilies and harebells caught our eye. Not all the distractions were floral though - there was cake !!!!

Last Friday, as well as taking the opportunity to say a fond farewell to Teresa, we helped one resident look forward to a change in his own life as he plans a move to another city, and enjoyed the company of a former resident who brought news of how he is settling into his new accommodation. In lives affected by uncertainty and turbulence, HTT offers constancy today and great experiences and memories to carry into tomorrow. How we appreciate this oasis of calm - a space to breathe and be oneself. Thank you Teresa for being part of this lovely story and thank you Deb for all that you do for us. Some more photos from Friday will follow.

Interesting Salvation Army project in Ilford...

Glorious weather for our regular Friday visit to the Horticultural Therapy Trust.org. First task of the day was to finish assembly of the new recycled plastic furniture. The site is looking beautiful and bountiful - in good time for HTT's open day on Thursday 4th July. On the floral front, the herb spiral is showing off its diversity of lavender and other aromatic plants. The wild thyme planted over a rock outcrop is in full bloom. The propagation greenhouse is home to a gorgeous yet delicate Peruvian daffodil grown from seed. The corn is taking off with flowers just becoming evident, and cucumbers and tomatoes are ripening in the tunnel. We were able to take back raspberries and cut flowers to be enjoyed by other residents. Thanks as ever to Deb and Teresa for making these sessions possible.

And everyone loved spending the Solstice in the good company of Deb and Teresa. Thanks to you both for providing this time and place of peace and fulfillment that is so appreciated by our residents.

And all good wishes for a stress-free move, a safe journey and fulfilling times ahead in your new assignments - from your friends at Devonport House ❤️ #The Salvation Army Plymouth Devonport Morice Town

Our Friday visit to the Horticultural Therapy Trust.org started and finished with harvesting. As we had our welcome cuppa we munched on freshly picked mangetout peas and strawberries. Later on, one of our number who had just received the exciting news of moving on to new accommodation next week was able to pick sweet peas that he'd grown himself to say "thank you" to Devonport House staff and harvest potatoes, peas and salad to contribute to his first meal in his new home. Me...anwhile, in the polytunnel, we were given a little reminder of a former participant in the form of heart-shaped leaves of morning glory that he had planted there two years ago and that self-seeds each year. Elsewhere, another current participant's rockery is taking shape, everyone's favourite flower love-in-a-mist is still going strong, ornamental banana plants are flourishing, fragrant tobacco is in flower, and transplanted sunflowers - the symbol of HTT - are settling in to become sentries dispersed throughout the site.
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Just radiating positivity! We are so lucky at Devonport House to benefit from this project.

We had a go at making dream catchers yesterday. We were a bit stumped for frames until someone had the bright idea of using wire coat hangers. With the help of some cloth, wool, thread, foam shapes, ribbon, beads, foil, feathers and a glue gun, we managed to create a celestial one and a fishy one. Even our real live fishes were curious about the crafted versions!