Rehabilitation garden at Hillingdon is planted
The Rehabilitation Garden at Hillingdon Hospital has been planted with the help of Tom Stuart-Smith, landscape architect and garden designer. The project was possible thanks to a year of fundraising by the Hillingdon Hospitals Charity.
The garden was instigated by Daniel's Ward manager Maria Helena Gomes Degado, who came to the Charity in 2022 with the wish of providing a garden at Mount Vernon for her long stay patients on Daniel's Ward.
They spent time with Daniel's Ward, and later Alderbourne Ward patients to understand their situations, and what they would like from a garden. There was close collaboration with rehabilitation staff and managers to understand what they required from a clinical perspective.
The Charity asked Tom Stuart-Smith (who has created some beautiful rehabilitation gardens for other NHS Trusts) to help, following which a campaign of fundraising started. This consisted of half marathons, 50k ultra marathons, quiz nights, charity sales, golf days, and a public appeal. Over £100k was raised specifically to provide this calm healing space.
The garden was planted with the help of corporate partners Mills Ltd and Stockley Park Estates Company.
Picture: Patricia Wright, CEO, talking to Tom Stuart-Smith before planting.