Sydney Gardens to become the first Dementia Friendly park in Bath
Written by Katie Watson, student from Bath Spa University’s Journalism & Publishing BA course.
One of Bath’s iconic green space, Sydney Gardens, is set to become the first Dementia Friendly park in the city by 2021, thanks to The National Heritage Fund’s investment of £2.7 million from the National Lottery.
The three-year-long project aims to grant the UK’s only remaining Georgian Pleasure Gardens a new ‘lease of life’, refurbishing the once well-loved park of local 18th Century novelist, Jane Austen.
What will make the park Dementia Friendly?
Dementia affects over 850,000 people living in the United Kingdom which is the equivalent to every 1 in 6 over 80, according to Age UK, the country’s leading charity dedicated to helping older people.
In Bath, the condition affects approximately 3,000 out of its 182,000 residents, according to the Dementia Action Alliance, an organisation across England who connects, share best practice and take action on dementia.
They are a long list of factors which affect those with dementia, which may not be immediately obvious to park-goers when visiting a public space, such as recognising a route’s exit to make sure they don’t get lost.
Sydney Gardens plan to accommodate these needs with amendments such as a marked Dementia Friendly Trail utilising wider and low-gradient paths, signage to indicate main points of the park and the removal of dead ends which those with dementia may find distressing.
The Sydney Gardens Project will follow guidelines, developed from research into dementia-friendly neighbourhoods and design for those living with the condition in healthcare premises, to ensure the park is accessible for everyone.
In Somerset Live’s interview with Heritage Lottery Fund’s chief executive, Ros Kerslake said: “Money raised through National Lottery players will enable local people to transform Sydney Gardens into a hub for the community, with the many health and well-being benefits that will bring.”
Sydney Gardens Project insert:
Through 2018–19, we worked with Frances Bennett from South West London. Frances has worked on many public environmental engagement projects including Let’s Go Outside and Learn CIC, Nature Buddies in Hounslow engaging ethnic minorities in their green spaces, Friends of the River Crane Environment and Friends of Kneller Garden. Frances was commissioned by Richmond Borough Council, famed for its parks and green spaces, to develop ‘Friendly Parks For All’ — a process of assessing parks and green spaces to make them Dementia Friendly, but also accessible for people with different user needs and capacities. Frances visited Sydney Gardens twice, auditing the park, and creating a report with recommendations that we plan to implement.
What is Bath currently doing for those with Dementia?
Sydney Gardens is just one of the many organisations that The Dementia Action Alliance have recruited to help make Bath & North East Somerset dementia-friendly.
They aim to help those living with dementia remain in their community for as long as possible and to live a high quality of life.
The alliance has recruited over 90 different businesses, groups and organisations to join their alliance so far, including Age UK Bath & North East Somerset.
To help the 70% of those living at home with dementia branch out into their community, Bath offers several activities and services within the area such as dementia café’s, library delivery services, the St John’s Art Group and more.
What new general facilities will the gardens have?
Alongside the improvement of the overall accessibility of the park, the local council pledge to create a brand-new play area and café with events and activities to accompany it, designed to attract all ages.
Volunteers have also already started working on the restoration side of the project, aiming to ‘bring more of a garden feel’ by allowing the opportunity for more ornamental planting.
The historic buildings of the park will also be revived or repurposed, including Minerva’s Temple, the Edwardian toilets and the canal footbridge.
Restoring the Georgian Pleasure Garden
The Sydney Gardens were enjoyed as far back as the late 18th century as part of the fashionable ‘New Town’ on the eastern side of the Bath city centre, according to Bath & North East Somerset Council.
Pleasure Gardens trended all over Europe and for those who could afford the ticket fee, enjoyed the various entertainment and leisure activities the gardens could offer, day and night, such as concerts, firework displays, acrobats and dancing, they further explain.
London had the most prized pleasure gardens, its most famous being Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, which the Museum of London defined as being “the very best places to see and be seen by the world”.
Sydney Gardens had a labyrinth which was considered to be a high source of fun, frequently visited by one of Bath’s most famous residents Jane Austen, it consisted of a longitude of hedges and paths including an adult-sized swing aimed at improving health through gravity, according further to Bath & North East Somerset Council.
What facilities does the park currently have?
The park currently consists of 12 acres of greenery, with the Kennet and Avon Canal and Great Western Railway cutting directly through the gardens with ‘glimpses of the wider city of Bath amongst the trees.’
Both were originally built during the 1800s, allowing visitors to enjoy the juxtaposition of Victorian craftsmanship and other key historic buildings — all within the gardens.
The grounds also include winding paths through lawns with shrubberies and trees, tennis courts and a playground, with seating scattered along the way.
The Holburne Museum is located nearby the gardens, an art museum which hosts exhibitions and workshops throughout the year which also includes historical paintings of Sydney Gardens in the 18th century.
Want to get involved in the project?
To stay up to date with the Sydney Gardens project and to find out more on volunteering opportunities, such as gardening, researching and tour guiding, visit: www.bathnes.gov.uk/sydneygardens
Any views expressed in this article are the views of the author and are not necessarily representative of the Sydney Gardens Project team. Although every effort has been made to ensure that all articles are factually correct at the time of writing, we trust that our authors have thoroughly researched their articles.
