A former resident has been remembered at the official opening of a garden that she helped fund at the Belong Macclesfield care village, where she loved to spend time outdoors.

The garden recently received a complete makeover, funded in part by Beryl Casswell, who lived at the village before she died, with landscaping and the additions of raised vegetable troughs and planters for flowers and plants, as well as new furniture, lighting, tool shed and a summer house.

Another former resident, Diana Seabright, also made a donation towards the creation of a wildflower area at the care village.

Care village residents and colleagues, members of the local community and Beryl’s friends gathered in the garden to celebrate the unveiling, with entertainment from Anna Beamont, known as the Golden Age Songbird, who sang classic songs from the 20s to the 50s. They also unveiled a deer sculpture with a plaque as a tribute to Beryl.

Many of the care village residents already enjoy gardening, which has been shown to have a number of benefits for older people, including those living with dementia, such as maintaining strength and balance, as well as providing sensory stimulation that improves mood and cognitive function. The raised flowerbeds and planters will enable those who struggle to bend down, including wheelchair users, to take part.

Consultations took place to determine what residents and colleagues at Belong Macclesfield wanted the garden to feature and how they wanted it to look, with the contract to execute the final design being awarded to Landscape Engineering Ltd.

Commenting on the official opening, village manager Cheryl Davies said: "The garden is a fitting tribute to a beautiful person, who was loved by all at Belong, and it will be enjoyed by countless people years to come. Thank you to the generous lady for this and everyone who came along to commemorate her.”

“We would also like to give special thanks to Urban Green and Landscape Engineering Ltd. for designing and creating the garden.”