LEARNING disabled adults supported at a respite service near Launceston are appealing for help to complete a sensory summerhouse project in their garden.

The summerhouse at the learning disability charity Hft’s Chy Keres respite centre in Tregadillet, was installed last autumn.

The garden retreat was paid for thanks to fundraising activities including a golf day at Launceston Golf Club, cake sales, a charity ball and a disco and pasty night.

The summer house has comfy beanbags and cushions for people to sit on and features a specially made sensory fidget board.

Gemma Brown, 36, who is supported at Chy Keres, said: “The summerhouse is a really nice place to sit and relax and enjoy the garden.”

The work to install the summerhouse was a team effort. Homeleigh Garden Centre in Launceston provided the wooden building at a discounted price, volunteers cleared the site with a digger they had borrowed and builders merchant Jewsons provided the slabs for its base, and the son-in-law of an Hft colleague at Chy Keres, who is a carpenter, erected it.

Chy Keres service manager Sam Zilkha said: “Originally we just had a sun shade outside in the garden.

“But in the good weather this didn’t give enough shade for the people we support, so we were keen to provide something where they could go and get out of the sun while being outside. The fundraising has taken place over a period of time, so we were delighted to get the summerhouse installed last autumn.”

With the building now in place, further work is needed to make the wooden hideaway fully accessible for the people supported at the respite centre, including to those using wheelchairs or who have limited mobility.

It is also hoped to get an electric feed to the summerhouse to allow a music system to be installed.

“We want to make the summerhouse and the garden accessible to everyone,” said Sam. “And to do that we need to be able to lay a path from the main building to the summerhouse to allow people with mobility issues to be able to fully enjoy the space. People have said they would also like to go out there and listen to music, so we really need electrics out there too.”

The garden at Chy Keres has seen a number of projects over the years to make the space more useable for people who visit. It has planters full of herbs as well as a polytunnel for growing veg. People supported at the service are assisted by support workers to grow vegetables which are used in the kitchen.

Gemma who enjoys her time gardening at the centre, said: “It would be really nice if we could get some additional help to finish the summerhouse and garden and make it more accessible for everyone, especially now summer is on its way. It’s a lovely space to be in and socialise with everyone and it would be nice if we could get it properly finished.”