"Cartref Dyfi is a BUPA owned care home and has 28 elderly residents. Many of the residents are not very mobile, but that hasn't stopped them getting active in the garden.

The sensory garden has been designed by community garden design specialist Kate Doubleday, who is based in Machynlleth.

It has been built by Kate with help from David Thorpe, the Cartref Dyfi residents and Mentro Allan staff.

The garden stimulates all the senses, including taste and touch and sound and smell, and so it can be enjoyed by everyone, including those with visual impairments and less mobile people.

Mentro Allan aims to understand the barriers to being active in the outdoors. To obtain our research, we put on outdoor activities which give people the opportunity to try new things, and then we ask participants what they're enjoying and what else they might like to do.

At Cartref Dyfi, the residents have been encouraged to use their upper body planting out hanging baskets and pots for the garden and those who are confident walkers have enjoyed being active in the garden.

We wanted to make the activity something that everyone could join in with, regardless of their usual level of activity.

In the case of care home residents, barriers to being active can be quite easily overcome, when care capacity is increased by visitors and leaders such as Kate.

Kate has loved working with and getting to know the elderly residents, and quite a few of them have been very enthusiastic about joining in.

If anyone living locally would like to join Mentro Allan and get more active in the outdoors, please contact us at ecodyfi in Machynlleth on 01654 703965 or mentro.allan@ecodyfi.org.uk"

Article written by Teresa Walters