The wonderful impact of the spring Front Garden Facelifts meant that ITV’s This Morning had swathes of deserving applicants from across the country hoping to have their front gardens transformed by David Domoney and his team of volunteers. During the spring makeovers, David was keen to involve garden centre teams. Two of the makeovers have involved local garden centres from the Blue Diamond Garden Centres group, and one with the help of British Garden Centres, plus many other wonderful volunteers working to give deserving This Morning viewers the front gardens they deserve.

David Domoney, who has been campaigning for the revival of front gardens for over a decade, has this time come in live from Corby, and his volunteers from Blue Diamond Garden Centre’s Beckworth Emporium and students from Moulton College have taken up the makeover mantle once again and worked tirelessly to revamp this front garden within just 2 hours.

Ben Shepherd and Cat Deeley introduced David and his volunteers at 10 a.m. when they knocked on Rebecca Carey's door.

Rebecca has Multiple Sclerosis and was hospitalized for 2 months over Christmas last year after a fall down her stairs in November. During this stay in hospital, scans revealed that she had a diagnosis of early-onset dementia at the age of 51. Each of these diagnoses has resulted in Rebecca having to give up work, and using their front living room as her bedroom, which looks out onto her front garden.

In the UK, it is estimated that over 150,000 people are living with MS, and nearly 7,100 people are diagnosed with the condition annually. This includes 1 in every 450 people in England alone. One of the largest impacts those living with MS have found is that they felt increased loneliness and isolation as a result of their condition, the numbers being as high as 3 in 5 of those living with MS. 

Early, working-age, or young-onset dementia is a prevalent condition in the UK, with over 70,800 people in the UK living with the early condition. This is classified as someone developing dementia before reaching the age of 65. Early-onset dementia is less likely to have memory loss as the first identified symptom and can also experience problems with mobility and coordination.

Spending time outdoors has long been proven to be a great benefit to mental and physical health. The sensory stimulation provided by the colourful plants, oxygen and clean air, sounds of pollinators visiting your plants, and the invigorating scents from all your different plants can all benefit your mental and physical well-being, particularly for those with limited mobility due to conditions such as MS. Plus, engaging with the garden and outdoor space is proven to boost mood, build new memories, and spark conversation with people living with dementia.

Before

After proving how much of a positive impact a revitalized front garden can have, David wants to motivate Brits to give their front gardens some love. David said, “When you’re coming home from either a long day at work, a busy trip, or even a visit to the shops, your front garden is the first part of your house that you see. By taking even a little time to add a couple of colourful plants to your home, your front garden space becomes an even more inviting space to greet you and boost your mood.”

After

Susan Titmuss, Head of Marketing and Communications at Moulton College added, “We were delighted to be able to contribute to creating a wonderful garden for Becky. It was an invaluable experience for our team of Royal Horticulture Society (RHS) part-time students led by their lecturer, Annette, and they all rose to the challenge for a very worthy cause."

“Transforming a garden within this time limit is hard work, but extremely rewarding,” continued David. “Thanks to the help of the students from Moulton College, Beckworth Emporium from the Blue Diamond Garden Centre group, Ames Tools, Tiller’s Turf, The Palm Tree Company, Emmitt Tool Hire, The Fun Blue Plaque Company and Hippo Waste, we were able to produce a cheerful and invigorating haven for a deserving This Morning viewer. Rebecca has had a challenging year, but we hope this garden will give her a revitalising space to enjoy from both indoors and outdoors.”

Eventually, David and his volunteers’ two hours were up, and it was time to show Rebecca her Mamma-Mia-inspired Front Garden Facelift. David took her on a guided tour, and she was emotional to see all the wonderful colours to enjoy. She looked forward to spending time sitting outside to take in all the vibrancy and cheer and take the opportunity to socialise with visiting neighbours. And the garden wasn’t the only surprise; David and This Morning also surprised Rebecca and 3 guests to go to the Mamma Mia party to celebrate her recent birthday too. The final touch once again was one of the very special Front Garden Facelift blue plaques.

 “It was wonderful to see this garden makeover come together, and I’m so grateful to all the volunteers from within the horticulture community for taking the time to help. And it was so fun to work within a theme; I hope Rebecca enjoys the summery Mamma Mia atmosphere we have been able to put together for her,” David concluded.

After the success of all of the front garden makeovers so far, This Morning is planning for David Domoney to do more Front Garden Facelifts as part of the show.

See David and the team in action on this fantastic makeover on the This Morning website: https://bit.ly/3Xu3xJB