A SENSORY garden was opened to the public at a new £8 million care home.

Visitors to Fernhill House Care Home were offered tea and cakes made by award winning chef Chris Williams and offered local ice creams from the home’s own vintage bicycle stall.

The sensory garden, part of the wider two-acre grounds at Fernhill House, is one of many stimulating and unusual features at the home which,will accommodate 36 people living with dementia and 30 frail elderly people.

Fernhill House manager Peta Mandleberg, a registered nurse who has worked in the care sector for many years, said: “It was a wonderful afternoon. Our different approach to helping people enjoy their later years includes ensuring that the home is part of the wider community.

"As well as encouraging friends and family to join their loved ones for dinner, we hold regular free evening talks often by well-known celebrities, which are open to anyone who’d like to come along.

"The open gardens event gave us a chance to share our beautiful grounds with a wider audience and also to ensure they felt welcome within the Fernhill House community.”