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After a successful grant application, NHS Charities Together awarded Berkshire Healthcare Charity £135,000 as part of their Greener Communities Fund. The Fund aims to support the creation of green spaces in clinical environments to improve access to nature, which is directly linked to improved mental health and wellbeing.  The space will be designed to enable occupational therapists, psychologists, and physiotherapists to deliver structured outdoor sessions that support emotional regulation, sensory integration, physical activity and social connection. Colleagues working at the hospital will also benefit from a restorative outdoor space to take a mindful break during a demanding shift.  The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust are working closely with Kate Townsend, Project Manager and Sustainability Lead to coproduce the nature trail designs with patients, families and staff.

What will the space look like?

The space will include a looping accessible pathway and be planted to stimulate the senses and encourage local biodiversity. It’ll have shaded seating areas, therapeutic horticulture zones and a dedicated quiet space. It will encourage biodiversity through native planting, insect hotels, bird and bat boxes, hedgehog shelters and a shallow wildlife pond.

Impact of the Greener Communities Fund

The Greener Communities Fund invests in creating and improving green spaces to benefit the health and wellbeing of NHS staff, patients and communities by creating more opportunities to access nature. Supported by environmental Charity Hubbub and Starbucks, NHS Charities Together awarded £500,000 to 15 NHS Charities across the UK this year. In previous years the fund has supported over 20 projects nationally.  Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity transformed a disused space near their Parkview young person’s inpatient clinic into a sensory garden for their patients who typically spend between 2 months and 1 year at the clinic. Find out more about the impact on the patients at the Parkview Clinic by watching their video. 

Debbie Fulton, Director of Nursing and Therapies at Berkshire Healthcare, added: “To be able to provide a therapeutic and calming outdoor space will greatly enhance the environment for our mental health and learning disability patients and their loved ones.”

Made possible by Berkshire Healthcare Charity, visit our website to find out more about how you can support or get involved with other projects within Berkshire.