TENANTS at an independent living complex in Oswestry have been celebrating awards for its onsite community garden.

The tenants of Shire Living’s Ashwood, in Upper Ash Road, have been working hard and donating generously for the community garden, resulting in them winning, not one, but two awards.

The first award, a gold award for the Best Community Project/Premises garden, was presented by Oswestry In Bloom 2019.

And the second was awarded to tenants Brenda and Raymond Rossiter by Wrekin Housing Trust for their ‘work in a community garden’.

The husband and wife-team were delighted to have taken first place in the competition, and with their trophy and medal awarded by the trust for their green-fingered efforts.

“The tenants work so hard here,” said Brenda. “And they all donate whenever they can too.

“Anything to do with charity, they get involved in it. They’re all so supportive of each other.

“It’s the perfect place to live.”

“These awards are for our community garden,” she added.

“Some tenants have done a bit in the garden, like getting out there and planting flowers. But everyone has donated generously to fund it.”

And Brenda’s husband Raymond is also fond of the garden.

“It’s somewhere that residents can sit and enjoy and reflect,” he added.

Tenant Myfanwy Wildblood, who also helped in the garden, was complimentary of the complex and the tenants, who she classes as friends.

“I couldn’t ask for a better place to live,” said Myfanwy.

“Everyone helps everybody else. The staff are so helpful and lovely too, Teresa [Tudor] is brilliant.”

Brenda added: “We’re not ‘residents’ like at a retirement home.

“We get up and do things. It’s good to have things to do together.

“These projects are great to get everybody involved and to help people interact with each other.”

And scheme manager, Teresa, praised the tenants and thanked them for all their hard work.

“They’re amazing,” she said. “They all work so hard. They’ve done brilliant.”