Deputy Lieutenant unveils Sandwood mosaic

New community mosaic unveiled at Sandwood

A beautiful collaborative art project has been revealed at Sandwood Care Home in Sherwood. The Deputy Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, Amanda Farr DL, visited the home on Friday 5 June to officially unveil a colourful community mosaic. The project marks the completion of months of creative teamwork and friendship, bringing together residents, their families, and local volunteers.

The artwork will initially be featured as part of the Sherwood Art Week Mosaic Trail. Afterwards, it will move to its permanent home in the Sandwood garden as a lasting reminder of what the community achieved together.

The design itself was shaped by ideas from the residents, highlighting nature, inclusion, togetherness, and the simple pleasure of sharing a cup of tea. It also weaves in nods to the 70th anniversary of Abbeyfield and our founder Richard Carr-Gomm, for which we are celebrating our milestone year throughout 2026.

Many local supporters, relatives, and staff members attended the celebration. This included Activities Coordinator Mel Spouge, who guided the project from start to finish.

Mel said, “We wanted to give residents the opportunity to create something meaningful that reflects both their personalities and the wider community, while enabling them to play a full role in Sherwood Art Week, which is such an important event locally.

“The finished mosaic is a wonderful representation of the friendships, creativity and sense of belonging that make Sandwood such a special place. We would like to thank the Nottinghamshire Freemasons who generously funded this project.”

The home was delighted to welcome Amanda Farr DL to open the display on behalf of the Lieutenancy.

Following the unveiling, Amanda said, “I am delighted to attend this event representing the Lieutenancy and His Majesty King Charles III, who is a great supporter of community and cultural initiatives. The mosaic looks fantastic and represents so much that is good about Sandwood Care Home. There is a wonderful sense of community, warmth and love here today.”

How the artwork came together

The completed piece is the result of a three-month collaboration with local artist Anna Dixon. Anna spent time getting to know the residents and understanding daily life at Sandwood to build a unique design from their memories and ideas. She then hosted interactive workshops where residents, families, and neighbours could work side-by-side.

Piece by piece, the group carefully placed hundreds of individual tiles to bring the vision to life.

Mel said, “We were delighted to work with Anna, who was passionate about involving our residents at every stage of the process and helping turn their ideas into a lasting piece of art.”

Anna said, “Making the mosaic with the residents gave me great joy, and it has been an eye-opener for me in terms of working with people living with dementia. There’s a lovely vibe in the home and I feel we have managed to represent this in the work we have created together.”

To add an extra layer of personal meaning, the finished piece features the handprints of the residents, which represents the shared effort and the warm, family feel at Sandwood, which provides dedicated residential and dementia care for 31 older people.

Connecting generations and local partners

The making of the mosaic gave families and residents a wonderful reason to sit down and focus on a shared goal.

Tina, whose father lives at Sandwood, said, “Dad had a great time creating the mosaic, and Mel even got me joining in too. It was such a lovely afternoon and a wonderful way to spend quality time together.”

Resident Michael added that taking part was “better than I thought it would be,” and that seeing his own ideas reflected in the final design gave him “a feeling of belonging.”

The project grew into a community effort with plenty of local backing, including helping hands from St Martin’s Church, Sherwood Art Week, and Nottingham-based digital services firm VISAV.

VISAV Executive Assistant, Jo Hudson, said, “What stood out most was the warmth and friendship between residents and staff, which creates such a bright and supportive environment. Projects like this demonstrate the real value of bringing communities and generations together in a meaningful way.”

The afternoon of the unveiling was made even more memorable by a musical performance from the Seely Primary School choir, who sang two songs focused on teamwork, friendship, and caring for the world.

Laura Jeeves, who led the choir, said, “We were very privileged to be invited to perform at this event. The children have visited Sandwood several times and have sung for the residents before, so we have built a wonderful relationship with the home. This is a very special milestone for both Sandwood and Abbeyfield, and we were delighted to be part of it.”

Sherwood Art Week Co-Chair, Sarah Bull, who attended one of the workshops, said, “We were delighted to contribute to the Sandwood mosaic project. It has been a truly collaborative piece led brilliantly by Anna and Mel, and it was lovely to work alongside residents, relatives and staff to help create something so special.”

Once Sherwood Art Week draws to a close, the mosaic will find its permanent home in the garden, offering a beautiful focal point for residents, visitors, and teams to enjoy for many years to come.

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