How green-fingered colleagues at SRP have transformed garden for patients
The patient garden at the Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital was opened in 2008, for the use of inpatients, visitors and colleagues.
Over the years the garden has become unkempt so a team of colleagues from Philip Ward volunteered to give it a makeover, using a generous £200 community garden grant from Wickes DIY store.
After removing many of the brambles and nettles, building a trellis for climbers, planting small fruit trees and flowering plants, they also sanded down and repainted the existing benches and seating, ensuring the garden was full of bird feeders, insect hotels, nesting boxes and a bird bath.
Patients on the ward have also contributed to the transformation by helping with the planting of annual seeds. The hospital's League of Friends has donated a plastic greenhouse so that patients can grow seedlings while the team has also been given donated dahlias and tulip bulbs from Manor Farm Fruits in Tamworth, as well as strawberry plants.
The garden is maintained by Claire Holloway, Patient Experience Facilitator, who said the outdoor area is a "cherished space that gives patients visitors and staff, a break from the ward, and a peaceful restful period in nature."
Claire added: "We regularly ensure patients have some garden time whenever the weather is kind, and encourage visitors to take their loved ones out into the garden so they can enjoy the fresh air and the sound of the birds."