NSCG Students Help Transform Belong Garden in Major Community Project

Belong care home in Newcastle-under-Lyme has reopened its garden as a sensory space for residents thanks to the help of NSCG students. 

The garden opening follows a successful partnership between the Mayor’s Charity Fund who sponsored the project and supplied materials, and NSCG Newcastle College as our students’ completed hours of design and labour to see the project to completion.

Using classroom knowledge to fulfil the live brief, learners from a variety of departments including Bricklaying, Joinery, T Level in Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction and Foundation Learners, worked together to plan, design, build and plant the sensory garden with the residents of Belong Care Home in mind. 

T Level students and winning design team Skye Barker, Victoria Silva and Luke Elk-Oldham spent time researching dementia in order to design a space to perfectly cater to the needs of its users.

On Tuesday the Mayor and Mayoress of Newcastle Robert and Judy Bettley-Smith, along with Deputy Principal of NSCG Shelley Brown, officially reopened the garden for use joined by local government representatives, NSCG students and Belong staff. 

Shelley Brown, Deputy Principal of NSCG, commented, “It was a privilege to be part of the re-opening of the sensory garden at Belong. Thank you to the Mayor and Mayoress Robert and Judy Betley-Smith for their support and to our fantastic staff and students for their hard work and commitment in bringing this project to life. A wonderful example of partnership and community in action.”