In an incredible double-page spead, Bunny Guinness introduced Horatio’s Garden Oswestry to readers of The Telegraph in style last weekend!
Bunny wrote a wonderful piece that not only describes the thought and time that went into designing the garden, but also how lovely it is to now see the garden being treasured by so many.
She recalls having ‘no doubts’ when Founder and Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, asked her to design the garden and the design consultation day back in 2016 left her buzzing with ideas. Having spoken with patients and staff in the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries, Bunny had a whole host of features to incorporate into the garden, which would transform the space that was then filled with bollards and portacabins.
The garden holds a special place in the hearts of both patients and staff, particularly now that it is open. Bunny writes that Mark Brandreth, Chief Executive of the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, was so accommodating and that his endless enthusiasm for the project is shared by hospital staff and the League of Friends.
Powerfully, she writes that ‘There is a lot of talk about the health-giving properties of gardening, but to see it in action is truly brilliant.’ The improvement in patient wellbeing has been noted by the Centre’s fantastic Ward Manager, Rebecca Warren, who shares with Bunny that since the garden opened patients are ‘far happier and much less frustrated’. She speaks of how many people are spending more time outside now than they ever have done in their lives, particularly to practice their wheelchair skills as they feel less inhibited doing this in the garden than on the ward.
We are so grateful to Bunny for featuring our brand new garden and we hope that her article offers everyone an insight into why every Horatio’s Garden is so important.
