Sketch of the Proposed Patio

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Consultation Update

Behind the scenes of Live Project 6 we have been keeping almost daily contact with the Respite Centre and building relationship with the staff and young people in order to get them involved in the plans for the outdoor space and find out how they want to use the garden. At first we just joined them for tea and a chat, to build their familiarity with us and work towards other activities. The following workshop update comes from Sheona (thanks):

On Wednesday 11th October two of us visited Chancet Wood to run a workshop activity with four of the young people. We based the activity on a booklet used by Chancet to get to know the young people and their likes and dislikes. It was observed that two distinct groups of children exist; those that want to explore the garden through sensory activities and those that want to explore it through movement. It also became apparent that many of the young people have a lot of energy that they need to vent through zooming around and dancing in their wheelchairs. Both of these observations are important considerations for the garden design. The workshop also provided us with specific information on these young people that will be fed into the garden design.

Some of the children involved are challenged by communication more than others. Supplying them with images to select allowed all of them to get involved, preventing feelings of exclusion. The workshop was generally a success as it stimulated extended conversation about the garden, which we were unable to achieve without the visual aids. It also enabled relationships to be formed between ourselves and the young people. These relationships will be extremely valuable as the project progresses.

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Senses, Surfaces, Features

Notes on the sensory garden (thanks Emily) 

 

SENSES
• Different fence textures: touch
• Planting hanging over path: touch
• Wall of different grasses: touch, hear
• Running stream: hear
• Wind chimes: hear
• Musical seats: hear
• Plants e.g. roses, lavender, garlic, rosemary etc: smell
• Plants e.g. nasturtium, wild strawberry, mint, thyme etc: taste
• Plants e.g. lambs ear, grasses, etc: touch
• Autumnal leaves on floor: hear, see, touch
• Birds chirping: hear
• Tyre wall: touch
• Light and shady patches as contrast: see
• Apple tree: taste

SURFACES
• Decking worked well. Easy to negotiate alone/with assistance. On gradient could be slippery when wet
• Compact gravel good on flat surfaces both alone/with assistance.
• Grass hard to negotiate on own, hard to push on, but still viable.
• Bark flooring soft. Felt different to roll on. Not hard to negotiate.

FEATURES
• Raised beds worked well. Plants at arm height from chair. Less chance of chair falling into beds.
• Include points of interest
• Squirrel and bird feeders to attract wildlife

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