A little corner for patients, staff and nature at the QMC | Latest news

Back in October we shared the news that a memorial garden had been created at the Queen’s Medical Centre so staff, patients and visitors have a space to relax, catch up and reflect.

The ‘Tranquility’ garden, which is near the tram bridge at the QMC, came about thanks to ex-Chelsea and England footballer Joe Cole and his wife Carly’s new NHS Gardens initiative – a project through their new charity called the 11 Foundation.

Fast forward 5 months, and with some cause for cautious optimism with Covid hospital admissions continuing to fall, yet more positive news is that staff and patients will soon have a beautiful garden to relax in at the QMC, thanks to lots of planting and general TLC provided by NUH Volunteers and the kind donations of local businesses. Our Hospitals Charity also donated £750 to fund the purchase of planst and bulbs to complete the garden in November last year.

Andy Callow, gardener and former QMC patient now volunteering his time to oversee the practical gardening side of the project, said: “I received such great care from staff in the Neurology service at NUH that I saw this as a great way to give something back to the trust. The memorial garden is turning into a great space for staff, patients and visitors to come and reflect, unwind and enjoy a little corner of nature amid a busy hospital. Homebase have donated tools allowing our brilliant volunteers to work on the garden. A few months back we planted 2,000 spring bulbs which should be adding a riot of colour over the coming months”.

Former patient and now ‘head gardener’ Andy Callow with Leo Jordan from Summerwood Community Garden

Leo Jordan, a gardener from Summerwood Community Gardens, added: “Today we’re planting apple trees, which have been provided by the London-based Trees for Cities charity. In two or three years they should start fruiting, and it’s a lovely thought that people will be able to pick an apple to munch on during their lunch break!”.

Another volunteer on the project, Alan Charlton, said; “As NUH Volunteers for most of the year we are stationed at entrances to help people find their way around the hospitals. We’ve been coming into volunteer throughout the pandemic, so it’s nice to be able to give our time to this wonderful garden project. I also volunteer for Notts Wildlife Trust who are donating several bird boxes, some bat boxes and even a bee hotel, so the garden should benefit the local wildlife as much as it does patients and staff!”.

NUH Volunteers Paul Shephard, Alan Charlton and Chris Carr

The memorial garden is located underneath the tram bridge, outside the Hipps Café in South Block of the QMC. For more information about the NHS Gardens initiative, visit: www.11foundation.co.uk.