The things that make life special
Our core care costs are met by the Local Authority, meaning that all the money you donate pays for ‘above and beyond care’ projects that make life so meaningful. Things like Safari Park visits, redecorating clients’ bedrooms in their chosen theme, or buying educational sensory equipment.
Therapy Suite sensory equipment
Our Hydrotherapy Pool is now equipped with a sound and lighting system. This is fully programmable to each client’s individual preferences. The system bathes the pool in beautiful colour changing light and high quality audio.
New Hydrotherapy Pool
The Hydrotherapy Pool at Stowfield reopened in May 2023 after extensive refurbishment. Clients are enjoying exercise and fun – keeping fit and relaxing in the lovely warm water.
The pool is open to all, 10am-7pm weekdays.
Changing Place
The Changing Places Toilet is now officially open and available to the public. Open during site hours: 9-3, the changing places allows anyone in the local area to use the facilities, it is also listed on the Changing Places website. Inside is an overhead hoist, adapted toilet, changing bed, showering facilities and rise and fall hand washing sink.
Wildlife Pond
Our pond will enable people with additional needs to experience hands-on learning, promoting a deeper understanding of the natural world and will offer the mental health benefits of time spent in nature. The pond will enrich the biodiversity of our site by introducing new habitats and food plants for the wildlife. In future it will have a bee hotel, log pile, flower bank and rockery.
We look forward to creating a ‘Learning Station’, with equipment and information for pond-dipping and wildlife watching.
Sevenoaks Sensory garden paths
Our Sevenoaks home has a lovely sensory garden, designed for clients to enjoy the sights, smells and tastes of nature. The paths needed to be widening and tarmacking to make them accessible for the types of wheelchairs used by our Sevenoaks clients. This project has enabled clients out into the garden to enjoy the wellbeing benefits of time spent in the great outdoors.
Day Service Kitchen
A brand new commercial kitchen which still gives a homely feel to our clients to carry out cooking sessions and build confidence to enable us to expand into a small cafe, where simple meals will be cooked by our clients and staff using our own produce whenever possible.
Bean Bags for Day Service
Through funding from Langtree Trust we were able to purchased three new giant bean bags, these can also be used outdoors allowing less mobile clients to join in outdoor activities and picnics. They offer a wide range of benefits: comfort, social inclusion, safety, improved activity engagement, physiotherapy, support after seizures, and much more.
New guinea pigs and chickens
We have rehomed 15 beautiful chickens, including some white tails, russians and sussex breeds. Their eggs are amazing with different shapes and colours (light blue, light green, giant white eggs too). We also rehomed 7 guinea pigs who have brought beautiful engagement from our clients, by cuddling, grooming and caring each day.
Chicken house
We secured a generous donation from a Herefordshire company with a connection to one of our Trustees. This enabled us to significantly increase our flock of hens, which our clients enjoy caring for.
Improved access to Stowfield site
The Stowfield project was about creating new paths and resurfacing old ones to improve the access around the Stowfield site.
Outdoor classroom
Our outdoor classroom was paid for by the Morrisons Foundation Grant and is a valuable facility.
Stowfield Sensory Garden
The Sensory garden at the Stowfield site needed some restoration work to its wooden structures and new planting.
Supported Living Kitchen
This project enabled us to replace the current kitchen at our supported living home with a more accessible kitchen.
Activity Park – Stowfield Site
We are really excited to see people enjoying the accessible park at our smallholding site. It’s a big thumbs up for the wheelchair accessible swing and ground level trampoline!
Encounter barns
With funding from grants and donations we have built two wheelchair accessible barns where clients can get up close to, and care for, our tame livestock.
Sensory room
The state of the art multi sensory room enables clients to have fun and learn in a fun, relaxing and stimulating environment. We have an interactive floor, bubble tubes, voice sensitive lights and much more.
Accessible trike
Generous grants and fundraising events have funded a fully adaptable Tomcat trike for our Sevenoaks home, meaning clients can get out in the fresh air and experience the joy of cycling.
Offa’s Dyke Walkway
A new covered walkway from the home to the minibus drop off point enables residents to get out to the minibuses for day trips without getting cold and wet.
Woodland Path
The Woodland Path goes from the Stowfield Smallholding to Offas Dyke home, connecting the two by a car free accessible route through beautiful bluebell woods.
Sevenoaks Sensory Garden
The garden, which has been designed by Scott Baine and Nichola Goff of The Rewild Project is based around the human senses.
Current fundraising projects
At Orchard Trust we seek constantly to grow and develop our facilities and activities. We don’t like to stand still! It is our aim that every client can live the fullest life possible, with the best opportunities and be supported to achieve the most they can.
For that reason we are continually fundraising for new equipment, facilities and services. If you would like your donation to support a specific project then contact us to discuss our latest plans.
VIEW OUR FUNDRAISING PROJECTS
