Garden for spinal injuries centre awarded ‘Best in Show’ at Chelsea

An accessible garden designed for patients at the Princess Royal Spinal Injuries Centre has been awarded the coveted Best in Show title at Chelsea Flower Show.

Designed by Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg for Horatio’s Garden, the UK-based charity that nurtures wellbeing after spinal injury in vibrant sanctuaries in NHS spinal centres, Horatio’s Garden Chelsea is an adaptive garden that puts the priorities of all those with different mobility needs at its heart.

The garden will be relocated to the Spinal Cord Injuries Centre in Sheffield in 2024. It will be eight times the size of the Chelsea show garden. Prof. Chris Morley, Chief Nurse, said: “This will provide a fantastic space for our patients to get away from the wards and into nature. It is really important for this group of patients as the nature of their recovery means they usually spend long periods of time in hospital.”

The garden is the antithesis of a busy, clinical hospital setting with every element being informed by the experiences of patients with spinal injuries.

Planting is layered to accommodate different ways of seeing, a garden room provides welcome relief from the busy ward. Smooth, cement-free terrazzo paths are patient-friendly, environmentally-friendly and aesthetically beautiful, with a 77 percent reduced carbon footprint compared to regular cement.

New bike shelters for cycle commuters

Have you been thinking of cycling to work?

Five new cycle shelters have been installed at both the Royal Hallamshire and Northern General hospitals, providing more than 200 extra spaces for bikes.

The new shelters are secure and covered. Locations are:

Royal Hallamshire

• A road

• B Road

• Jessops/rear of Sunshine Day Nursery

• Broomcross Building

• Jessops/WPH Link bridge

Northern General

• Bev Stokes

• Coleridge Lane

• Labs

• Firth Close

• Vickers Corridor entrance 20

To register for access please email sth.travelplanning@nhs.net.

Volunteers attend Royal Garden Party

Two of our fabulous volunteers attended a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Voluntary Services team's receipt of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Alan Revill (NGH Pharmacy volunteer) and Alan Carr (from Sheffield Open Heart Club) represented all the Trust volunteers who were recognised with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service last year – the equivalent of an MBE.