When I met with Sarah Perkins, Wellbeing Co-ordinator at Lyncroft Care Home, Wisbech, a few months ago, she shared with me a heartfelt vision: to transform an underused patch of land at the front of the care home into a vibrant mini nature reserve. Inspired by her passion and the positive response from residents—especially those living with dementia—I was immediately motivated to help bring this idea to life.

Sarah envisioned a peaceful, sensory-rich space where residents could observe and connect with wildlife, enhancing their wellbeing through nature. Her plans included the addition of a small pond to attract amphibians, a bug hotel to create sheltered habitats, and a meandering woodchip path that would allow residents to immerse themselves in the sights, scents, and textures of native plants and wildlife.

So, after finishing my tea and jammy dodger, I headed off and immediately began rallying support from our Youth Rangers of the Fens and the Young People’s Forum members, whilst Sarah began contacting the local community for donations of materials and resources to help us on this exciting quest.

Within a few weeks, she had received donations of bird, bat and hedgehog houses, woodchip, large rocks and lining for the pond. With everything in place, we set a date for Friday 11^th April and once again Sarah engaged the community to gather volunteers for the day.

In the morning when all arrived, we knew that we were going to have a good day, not just because Sarah had put out a large tray of iced and sprinkled doughnuts, but because the sun was shining and lots of volunteers all arrived with large smiley faces and lots of enthusiasm!

With spirits high, we set to work quickly agreeing on the pond location and immediately started digging. Harrison, one of our Forum members quickly found a particular way of digging out the soil by using a paddling technique so I sat down and joined him and began singing ‘row, row, row your boat’. I do so love a good old-fashioned sing-along.

As the morning progressed, some of the residents arrived to watch our efforts and more local volunteers started to arrive including Wisbech Mayor, Tesco Community Champion leads, local councillors and Jack from HAY Fenland. One of the highlights of the day was watching Emily, a Young People’s Forum member, enthusiastically share every bug she discovered with the residents—from leatherjackets to woodlouse spiders, some of which residents hadn’t seen for years. She quickly earned the nickname “Bug Girl,” and everyone eagerly brought their finds to her for viewing and identification. You can read about her experiences as part of her Diary of a Youth Ranger blog.

By lunchtime, the residents were so thrilled with the progress that they began imagining afternoon teas and evening drinks in the new space, enjoying the birdsong and tranquil atmosphere.

The Young People’s Forum members and Youth Rangers received so many compliments during the day and I felt so proud to be working alongside them, just watching their constant enthusiasm whilst working and chatting with the residents, not once complaining about how warm it was or how tired they were.

This was a fabulous event which became so much more than just a transformational wildlife garden project. It became a meaningful community experience which highlighted the positive impact of generational connections, the enrichment of lives through engagement with nature and a fostered sense of shared appreciation for the natural world, all made possible through Sarah’s vision.

Team Wilder Plaque and Certificates are on their way…