SALTBURN care home residents are blooming with pride after being rewarded for finding and identifying over 140 species of wildflowers in North Yorkshire.
Residents at Hazelgrove Court Care Home, on Randolph Street, are celebrating after receiving a certificate from the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland for completing its 100 Plants in 2026 Challenge.
The project saw residents, families and staff work together to identify and record wild plants from across Saltburn and Redcar, learning more about nature and biodiversity along the way.
Activities coordinator Sharon Lewis registered the home for the challenge, which encourages beginner botanists to identify and record the first 100 wild plants they discover over the course of the year.
She said: “This has been a brilliant project involving our residents, friends and families. We’ve also taken part in several webinars with the Botanical Society to help build our knowledge of wildflowers.”
During the process of locating and recording wildflowers, residents created a colourful display along a corridor in the home, featuring photographs of their findings alongside the date each plant was discovered, its location and reference number.
Among the flowers recorded were snowdrops spotted in February, one of the species most commonly recorded by challenge participants early in the year because of its early flowering season.
More recent finds included willowherb, shrubby cinquefoil, red campion, purple toadflax, penstemon and lindernia dubia, discovered during July.
In total, they recorded over 140 different species, and received their official certificate from the Botanical Society in July.
Resident Barry Taylor, 86, said: “I became interested in flowers from when I was a child. I would go to Sedgefield with my dad, to my grandma’s house, and her garden was filled with hundreds of roses. It was an amazing sight.”
Sheila O’Neill, 86, said: “I have loved taking part in this project. As flowers tell you what time of year it is, when we saw snowdrops we knew winter was coming to an end, and then the daffodils told us spring was on the way.”
Joyce Tibbett, 91, said: “I have loved taking part in the 100 Plants in 2026 Challenge. The best bit was Sharon showing a photo of a flower that someone had taken, and me saying what I thought it was and then putting it in Google Lens to see if I was right.”
Ann Clark, 89, added: “It is great taking part in this challenge as flowers are so beautiful.”
Sharon said: “This challenge has been amazing, as it has involved residents, families and staff and the photos have been an amazing talking point with everyone who has visited the home. We never realised just how many wild flowers we have in Hazelgrove’s garden.”
David Barlow, North East representative for the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, praised the educational value of learning about wildflowers.
He said: “A knowledge of wildflowers gives you an appreciation of the world around you. Learning 100 wildflowers is a great achievement. If everyone knew 100 wildflowers I think the world would be a much better place. And if you get interested it will last a lifetime.”