A Warm Welcome in the Garden: A Special Visit from Gateway into the Community

Gateway into the Community is a Hexham based charity, established in 1998 to support people who have a learning disability and enable them to access social, leisure and learning opportunities within their local and wider community. The charity supports more than 200 people over the year and over 120 people attend various groups and activities every week. Gateway promotes social inclusion, that everyone should feel a part of their community and supports members to feel a sense of belonging within their local community.   https://www.gatewayintothecommunity.co.uk

Outreach team members Holly Clay, Liz Hume and Liz Holmes led a morning of creative activity, decorating terra cotta plant pots and planting a colourful pansy, to take home. The group also explored the beautiful 2 acre garden which has a large vegetable plot, fruit garden, herbs, a wild pond and a magnificent lily pond, meditation garden, labyrinth, and willow spider which was much enjoyed. The Peace Garden was established and is maintained by charity Let’s Get Growing. https://www.letsgetgrowing.co.uk

We also had a walk to the boating lake and woods in the grounds of Minsteracres, and had a close look at the mighty sequoia trees.

At the end of the morning, some members had a picnic on the Peace Garden before going back to the Den in Hexham. Everyone enjoyed the morning and Day Care Manager Sharyn Castelow said that they would like to return for a full day in the Peace Garden.