A garden created by Sefton residents who have support needs due to
disability, age or mental health conditions is set to be one of the most
innovative entries at Southport Flower Show.

Clients from services across the borough run by leading adult social care
provider, New Directions, have been busy putting the finishing touches to
their Magical Memories exhibit, which takes its cue from the show¹s Curious
Garden theme this year.

The New Directions garden is based in part on Edward Lear¹s famous nonsense
poem, The Owl and the Pussycat, and will feature a Œbong-tree¹ and a water
feature suitable for a miniature version of the fabled Œpea green boat¹.

However, the exhibit also aims to raise awareness of dementia, a condition
affecting many clients supported by New Directions.

As a result, other elements of the garden also put the spotlight on the
golden memories of childhood by including items such as a sandpit, a
blackboard and a hopscotch court.

This is the third year that New Directions has produced a garden for the
Flower Show, and the organisation is hoping that this year¹s entry will
follow in the medal-winning ways of The Garden of the Blessed in 2015 and
The Lost City of Atlantis last summer.

Magical Memories has been created by clients at the organisation's New Leaf
garden centre and North Hub in Southport, and the New Creations art, craft,
joinery and textiles workshops in Netherton.

New Directions Business Development Manager, Dave Hughes, commented: ³It¹s
great to see our services throughout Sefton coming together to work on this
exciting project, which has quickly become one of the highlights of our
annual events calendar.

³Our service users get a huge amount of satisfaction and pride from seeing
their work on display, and I am sure Magical Memories will attract a lot of
interest from the thousands of visitors who attend this prestigious event.²

New Directions was established in Sefton in 2007 as the first local
authority social care trading company in the country.

Ten years on, the organisation remains at the forefront of the local care
sector, with a team of more than 300 staff caring for older Sefton
residents, or people with disabilities or mental health support needs.

For more information about the services offered by New Directions, or to
find out about joining the team, ring 0151 934 3726 or visit
www.ndirections.co.uk.


Branching out * New Directions clients and Tutor Simon Jackson pictured at
the organisation's North Hub in Southport putting the finishing touches to
the bong-tree, one of the innovative elements of their Magical Memories show
garden.