I’ve been a physiotherapist at Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital for around seven years and I remember when this garden was a car park. Back then, getting some fresh air meant waiting outside the hospital entrance, with ambulances and taxis arriving around the clock. When Horatio’s Garden opened last year, it changed the spinal centre dramatically.
As a clinical space, the ward can often feel busy, noisy and cluttered, with the sound of bins closing, buzzers going off and phones ringing all day. It’s a hot and stuffy environment – one that must sometimes feel at odds with recovering from illness or injury.
Since the garden opened, I’ve felt my own quality of life improve. I love spending time outdoors, often climbing or running, so being able to spend my lunch breaks outside instead of looking at a computer screen makes a real difference. I really value sitting among the trees or plants and watching insects land on flowers. My colleagues are into nature watching too, and the birds or butterflies often spark up conversation between us. It’s like having a park right next to work and even if I just come out for a hot drink, I always feel better for it.
I really enjoy bringing patients out here because they’re always so impressed when they see the garden for the first time. People are often at the spinal unit for a long time, so being able to come outside in their hospital bed or chair makes a huge difference, and you can really see it lift peoples’ mood. If I was a patient, I’d want to be in the garden, so I try to make that happen for others wherever possible.
As a physiotherapist, we do most of our work in the gym, where specialist equipment is essential to helping people regain strength and make progress. But our work also includes education and supporting people throughout rehabilitation, so being able to use the garden as a place to chat has been great. Giving people space to offload their worries is a big part of the process, and that can be easier away from the ward or gym. I’ve seen occupational therapists out in the garden too, so it clearly supports many stages of the rehabilitation journey.
The gardening group is another way the garden helps with rehab. For patients whose injury affects their hand function, gardening allows them to practice dexterous tasks while working with natural materials like compost and seeds. Moving all these things around is helpful for rehab and so much more fulfilling than being asked to pick up a bead and place it back down on a table. With gardening, you get to see the seeds you plant growing and you know you’ve done something worthwhile.
My favourite thing in the garden is that there’s always something in flower, and it gives you so much to watch during the changing seasons. The trees encourage all sorts of birds into the garden, and the garden room means that you can come out to birdwatch, even in wintertime. There’s always a great selection of biscuits too – but maybe I should keep that quiet!
The benefits of the garden to peoples’ mood are huge, and that has a positive effect on recovery. It’s not a complicated intervention – it’s simple. It’s getting people outside, into a beautiful space where they can have chat in private or enjoy a hot drink with a friend. For me, that’s what makes Horatio’s Garden so valuable for staff and patients alike.