Heathcote Garden at Royal Leamington Spa Rehabilitation Hospital
Earlier in the year we created Heathcote Garden at Royal Leamington Spa Rehabilitation Hospital to accompany the Restaurant Garden we completed there last year.
The garden has provided somewhere enclosed and secluded, for NHS staff to meet, enjoy and relax in the outdoors to boost their well-being.
The green space includes a pollinator friendly garden area to improve the biodiversity of the area, living walls to add mini vertical gardens of colour and vibrancy and raised alpine beds full of beautiful low maintenance plants.
During an initial survey with staff, one request for the garden was for a range of spaced-out seating areas in both full sun and in the shade.
Taking this request on board we reconditioned benches to provide a quiet seating area on a slabbed area at the back of the garden. We also constructed four Arbour benches which we displayed on the lawn either side of the alpine beds and onlooking a sheltered seating area at the end of the garden.
This is now the fifth South Warwickshire Foundation Trust hospital garden we have created, following others in Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick and we are very proud to provide staff, patients and visitors with these places of purpose to enjoy.
Feedback from NHS staff
“The garden is a perfect place to unwind out of the hospital and the office environment”
“It’s green, it’s colourful and really lovely. We are very grateful”
“A great relaxing place to spend my lunch break within nature and breathe, thank you”
“It cheers me up every morning walking through the garden”