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Horatio's Garden Wales

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Cardiff

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Watch our brand new Horatio’s Garden Wales Appeal Video by clicking ‘Play’ on the photo to the right.

The Welsh Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Centre is one of 11 designated spinal centres in the UK. Patients are admitted from south and mid-Wales, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, although priority is given to Welsh patients.

Whilst the centre is currently situated at Rookwood Hospital, it is going to be moved to a new, purpose-built Spinal and Neurological Centre at the University Hospital, Llandough. This is due to open in 2021 and as part of the redevelopment, Horatio’s Garden has been invited to create a new garden for patients.

The project is in collaboration with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, with the cost of the ground and enabling works being covered by Cardiff & Vale Health Charity. The new centre will provide both specialist spinal and neuro-rehabilitation services for patients. It will have an independent living facility for patients preparing to go home. It will have a total of 50 beds.

“I firmly believe that the Garden will bring immense benefit to our patients both physically and psychologically. I am also convinced that our staff, who do such wonderful work to care for their patients, will also gain considerably from the environment that the Garden will provide. We at Cardiff & Vale University Health Board are looking forward with great anticipation to the opening of Horatio’s Garden at Llandough in due course”. – Professor Charles Janczewski, Interim Chair of Cardiff & Vale University Health Board

We launched our Welsh Appeal in the autumn of 2019, with the aim of raising the required £920,000 within a year. Incredibly, various supporters have already helped us to raise the vast majority of the money needed for the project, but we will be continuing to fundraise in a variety of ways for the small outstanding amount. At the request of the hospital, the designs and budget for the garden include an area for patients in the neurological rehabilitation ward. There will be no access between the two gardens due to the very different user needs of patients. The Cardiff and Vale University Health Board have pledged to pay the proportion of the capital costs required for the neurological garden and for the ongoing running costs.

Thanks to all your incredible support, work began on the garden in February 2021. Now that the build is underway, we hope that the garden will be open for patients and their loved ones to enjoy by this coming winter.

“When I heard Wales was going to have a purpose-built Horatio’s Garden at Llandough Hospital, something went through me which is hard to explain. I know from my own experience what it meant to be able to go outside to feel the fresh air. To be with your family away from the clinical environment helped no end with my rehabilitation. To have a bespoke garden with all of the small details considered to make it easily accessible for people with low mobility will be tremendous”. – Rhian, previous patient of the Welsh Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Centre

To read more about our capital appeal for Horatio’s Garden Wales click the following link: Cardiff Appeal Leaflet

To support the appeal, please donate by clicking the button in the top right hand corner of this page. Alternatively you can donate by post to the registered office address: 2 Throope Down Office, Blandford Road, Coombe Bissett, Salisbury, SP5 4LN, or phone 01722 326834 to donate by credit card.

If you feel you could help us with fundraising, or would like to volunteer, please contact us by emailing info@horatiosgarden.org.uk, or ring 01722 326834.

Thank you to everyone who has supported our sixth Horatio’s Garden so far.

Sarah Price

Sarah Price is an award-winning Welsh garden designer who has had a prestigious career. She is renowned for her artistic, naturalistic planting style in such projects as the Olympic Park and a garden at Manchester’s Whitworth Gallery.

Sarah has created a beautiful garden sanctuary for patients and has collaborated with 6a architects to create the garden pavilion. From the outset, Sarah was passionate about incorporating as many elements of the winsome Welsh landscape into her designs as possible, despite the space being the smallest of our gardens to date.

She has thus devoted different spaces to different sources of horticultural inspiration, meaning that Horatio’s Garden Wales will be home to a moss garden, shed garden, scented garden, meadow garden, vegetable garden, flower garden and the ‘orchard hall’, which will be home to many multi-stemmed crab trees and amelanchier.

Meanwhile, the pavilion will be homely, with a kitchen area and plenty of seating both inside and on the terrace.

The Design

The garden will be easily accessible from the spinal injury centre through automatic doors so that patients in hospital beds and wheelchairs can use the space with their friends and family or as a place of sanctuary.

Cloud hedging will create a green threshold that will signal an immediate transition of environment from the ward. Fully wheelchair accessible, flat paths of patterned concrete panels will meander through a gently undulating landscape of diaphanous planting and clear-stemmed shrubs and trees.

A reflective, raised water pool and green oak seating will offer intimate and beautiful places of repose to everyone visiting the garden. Warmth, shelter and opportunities for socialising will be provided by a garden pavilion enabling the garden to be used all year round. The internal space will feel like home and be designed for comfort, flexibility and accessibility with a kitchen area and propagation table both designed for ease of use.

The pavilion will be the hub of growing in the garden and a place for garden therapy. The planting will provide year-round interest and biodiversity. Bird feeders and nesting boxes will encourage wild birds to the garden. There will also be a roof terrace garden very close to the ward especially for high dependency patients to use in their hospital beds.

The charity will take a lease with the NHS Trust for the land and once the garden is open Horatio’s Garden will commit to funding the team required to care for the garden and organise events and activities to offer the gentle side of rehabilitation for patients who spend months in hospital.

Maria Battle

Chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board

Maria is a Solicitor specialising in public law and human rights. She was formerly Senior Director of Consumer Focus Wales, a consumer statutory watchdog, championing consumer rights in the energy markets, fuel poverty, park homes and food safety. She headed the UK Investigations team. Prior to this Maria was Deputy/Acting Children`s Commissioner for Wales advocating for children rights in education, child protection, asylum and health in Wales, UK and Europe.

She has worked for local authorities in Wales as well as private practice and had her own legal practice. Maria ensured children had a voice working for the Children Society and NCH Action for Children. She was an independent children’s advocate in children's homes and has chaired Inquiries and the Standards Committee of Carmarthenshire County Council.

Maria was Director of Age Concern Ceredigion championing the rights of older people, and she lectured in law at the Universities of Glamorgan and Birmingham. Maria is also a lay member of the Council of the University of Cardiff, Chair of the Welsh NHS Confederation, trustee of the National Museum of Wales, Amgueddfa Cymru, and has recently been appointed to the Social Care Wales Board.

Sir Gareth Edwards

Former Rugby Union player

"Having spent a lifetime playing, watching and supporting rugby, I know having a Horatio's Garden would have meant a lot to many friends who have experienced spinal injuries whilst playing the beloved game. It is a privilege to be involved in this project."

Dr Isabel Graham

High Sheriff of South Glamorgan 2019 - 2020

"I have always known how important access to fresh air, sunshine and an outside garden space with trees and plants is to the wellbeing of long stay patients since working in the Rookwood Hospital rehabilitation unit many years ago.

The outdoor pavilion and garden to be provided by Horatio's Garden at the new centre in University Hospital Llandough in Cardiff will enhance the quality of life and rehabilitation programmes for our Welsh patients and their families.

This facility will aid recovery for these families coming to terms with life-changing challenges and will provide ongoing opportunities and therapies for patients to access.

It is so important to have such a facility at this new centre of excellence for Welsh patients."

Philippa Herbert

Former patient and passionate gardener

Dame Shân Legge-Bourke

Previous Lord Lieutenant of Powys

"I am sure that Horatio would be so happy to know that Horatio's Garden Cardiff will bring so much to the lives of all those affected by spinal injury. With the wind, sun, trees, flowers and wildlife, I cannot think of a more healing place to be."

The Right Reverend June Osborne

Bishop of Llandaff

“It’s wonderful to think that a new Horatio’s Garden will come to Llandough, available to patients from all over Wales who have suffered severe spinal injuries.

A long stay in a clinical environment following life-changing damage can itself be a very tough emotional and spiritual road.

We all know the healing and recuperative power of the outdoors, so to have a beautiful garden easily available is a really important part of their recovery.

Horatio’s Garden is a simply fantastic gift to patients, their families and friends, and to staff and volunteers.”

William Wilkins

Artist

"Gardens really are healing places and for such an important medical facility I am delighted to support the creation of a first class modern garden. I have no doubt that it will be a marvellous place of therapeutic beauty."

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