Coalisland group harness flower power for lockdown

MANY elderly and vulnerable residents had their weekend brightened with a gift of flowers donated by horticulturist Dominic Lyons, owner of the Garden Corner on the main Dungannon to Cookstown Road.

Dominic donated £1,250 worth of flowers and plants to the ‘Coalisland and surrounding areas Covid-19 response’ team who distributed them to delighted residents in the area.

He said, “It’s good to get the opportunity to brighten people’s lives at a time that some are finding particularly grey.

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“Ourselves and Paul Hampsey from Coalisland also took hanging boxes and windows boxes to Sandville Nursing home and we are told the residents are delighted.

“It is a time to look out for each other and bring some cheer so it is a privilege to be able to contribute.”
Echoing these sentiments, local mental health counsellor Joe Coney, who is with the community response team, suggested the flowers can have a positive emotional effect at a time when many are finding life stressful.

He explained, “With the deepening of the Covid-19 crisis, and with self-isolation now well and truly in place, we now face the challenge of boredom, and for some, a terrible loneliness. Not everyone is au-fait with technology or activities that the rest of us may take for granted.

“For the elderly and the vulnerable this can feel a lot more intense and cause all sorts of mental health difficulties.

“Gardening is extremely therapeutic, gives us a purpose, hope, a reason to keep going and meaning. “This year our gardens can become a literal lifesaver, and a place we can all find peace and quiet and a real sense of satisfaction, this in turn will help lower anxieties.”