08 April 2025
Summary:
We offer 3,500 homes with Later Living housing management services for older residents, including housing with on-site care and flats in retirement blocks.
One such scheme is Tutin Court in the village of East Leake, Nottinghamshire. Residents from the scheme’s 32 flats told us that they wanted to develop their communal garden so they could grow more vegetables, and in a way that was more inclusive and accessible for gardeners with limited mobility.
We shared this with our Estates Team who quickly identified that through our Social Value partnership with supplier Pinnacle we could find a solution. Pinnacle designed and installed large, raised planters suitable for vegetable growing and accessible to those in wheelchairs or unable to bend down to ground level.
We followed up with a community cooking course arranged by Empowering Futures where residents were taught how to use air fryers to cook the vegetables, and also received the air fryers for free.
Later living in bloom Jacqui Giles, a resident at Tutin Court for eleven years, said:
“This is a lovely place to live, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. The garden is beautiful, and the introduction of the raised planters has allowed those who are less mobile to get involved. Every planter is full of vegetables this year and planting them out has brought us together. We will share the produce out to every flat and there are plans for barbecues in the summer. In the past eighteen months MTVH have refurbished the lounge and dining areas and co-funded a new pool table and darts board which has encouraged more socialising, which is particularly important after the Covid years affected some people’s confidence. I’m looking forward to being here for many years to come.”