9 November 2023
Resident at Beech Court becomes published author
Michael Gardner, a resident at Beech Court in Leicester recently published Reflective Mind, a collection of poems. 
Michael was inspired to write many of his poems after he began volunteering as a walk leader at his local wellbeing club. He found that being outdoors helped him with his grief after losing his wife and started writing about his feelings through poetry. Eventually, Michael decided to put his poems together into a book called “Reflective Mind”, which was published in September 2023 and reads as a reflection of his journey from sadness to hope.
To celebrate Michael’s achievement, Beech Court decided to organise a coffee morning and book signing event open to other residents and members of the local community. Michael decided to bake a cake for the special occasion and all the money raised from selling slices of cake and copies of his book went to Headway – a UK-wide charity that works to improve life after brain injury. So far, Michael has raised £320 for the charity.
Speaking about his book and the coffee morning, Michael said,
I’m immensely proud of my book. The poems are about compassion and friendship and have a message of hope. I’m incredibly pleased that through publishing my book I was able to raise money for a charity that is important to me.
Trish Simms, Location Manager at Beech Court, said:
We’re very proud and pleased for Michael on the publication of his book. It is a great achievement. The coffee morning was a success and I saw so many people buy a copy of Reflective Mind, including myself.
Reflective Mind can be found here. To learn more about Beech Court retirement property in Leicester click here.
