Residents at Five Oaks care home in Barnet get green fingers

Residents and staff at Five Oaks care home in Barnet enjoyed a little plant therapy recently, when volunteers from White Oaks healthcare catering services visited to host a herb-potting event.

White Oaks supplies catering services to Age Care’s nine residential homes, of which Five Oaks is one. The team at White Oaks regularly arranges to volunteer at the homes they serve.

The day’s events started with residents decorating their own pots, after which everyone enjoyed a refreshing coffee break. Then it was time for residents to plant the pots with herbs of their choice. These will remain at the home where the herbs, once grown, can be used in meal preparation.

Care home manager, Rahima Mulindwa, said: “We had a wonderful volunteering day thanks to the team at White Oaks. It was a great opportunity to build meaningful relationships between their staff and our residents.

“Everyone thoroughly enjoyed planting their own herbs and decorating the pots, with fantastic support and encouragement from the White Oaks team. It was truly heartwarming to see the smiles on everyone’s faces throughout the day.”

Laura Tighe, Business Director at White Oaks, said: “It was incredibly rewarding to see our White Oaks team connecting with residents at Five Oaks in such a meaningful and creative way. Activities like this go beyond our day-to-day catering service. They build relationships, support wellbeing and reflect our commitment to making a positive impact in the senior living homes we serve. Plus, it’s also a great way to support sustainability in everyday life, something we’re proud to encourage and be involved in.”