Poundbury Gardens supports surgery’s memorial garden planting project

Poundbury Gardens near Dorchester has donated many plants, bulbs and bags of compost to Craig’s Courtyard, a planting project taking shape at Cerne Abbas Surgery in memory of the late Dr Craig Wakeham, who led the practice for 30 years before dying from COVID-19 in April 2020.

This support for Craig’s Courtyard has formed part of the garden centre’s initiative to undertake 15 community planting projects in celebration of its 15th anniversary and provide a much-needed boost to some of those most affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

Stuart Bexon (above centre), a member of the surgery’s Patient Support Group, who has been leading on the project to renovate the staff’s rest area, says: “While working with a small budget for the much-needed and well-deserved garden renovations, we have been very grateful for Poundbury Gardens’ donations, support and advice. Many obstacles have presented themselves along the way, but Mike and his team have helped us overcome them with their knowledge and skills, and we are now proud to say that the first plants and bulbs have been planted. We can’t wait to see the beautiful results next spring.”

Mike Burks, managing director of The Gardens Group and Chairman of the Garden Centre Association (front right), adds: “Craig’s Courtyard is such a fantastic initiative and one that really demonstrates how gardening can bring people together in the face of adversity. We’ve all come to know how beneficial green spaces are to our health and wellbeing, so we really hope the staff at Cerne Abbas Surgery enjoy their new garden, giving them the opportunity for some much-needed rest and reflection after an incredibly hard 19 months. We look forward to seeing how this outdoor space matures as the new plants bed in.”