Sowing The Seeds of Health with NHS Charities Together | Charity News Blog

BCHC Charity has been awarded £14,790 from NHS Charities Together's 'Greener Communities' fund to enhance the duckpond garden at Moseley Hall Hospital. 

BCHC Charity is one of 15 NHS charities across the UK to receive a share of £500,000 from NHS Charities Together, to invest in creating and improving green spaces to benefit the health and wellbeing of NHS staff, patients, and communities by giving them better access to nature.

As people live longer with increasingly complex health conditions, demand on the NHS is rising and health inequities are worsening; the role of local communities in helping people live well has more important than ever. Delivered by NHS Charities Together in partnership with environmental charity Hubbub and Starbucks, the programme addresses the fact that while research shows 8 in 10 people feel healthier and more energetic after spending time in nature, one in five people in the UK still live in areas without easy access to green spaces.*

Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive at NHS Charities Together, explains why this funding is so important to NHS patients, visitors, and staff; “This latest round of funding will build on our achievements and learnings to date and enable even more NHS Charities to create and enhance access to green spaces that support the physical and mental health of NHS staff, patients, and local communities.”

The projects funded by this partnership will also have a positive impact environmentally. Gavin Ellis, Director and Co-Founder at Hubbub, said; “As well as the direct environmental impact of more green spaces, studies have shown that spending time in nature makes people more likely to make environmentally friendly lifestyle choices. We are delighted to partner with local NHS charities to draw on their expertise in health and wellbeing...” Starbucks Loyalty, Partnerships and Digital Lead, Phil Peacock, said; “We're proud to play a part in helping more of these spaces come to life.”

Angela Corry, BCHC Charity Campaign Manager, said; “ Improving the garden aligns to our strategy of tackling health inequalities by making nature more accessible to those who might otherwise be excluded.” The three main aims of the project are:

Improving Health & Wellbeing
The charity has previously funded a raised flowerbed in this garden, which is used as gardening rehabilitation therapy for patients, helping them to rebuild strength, mobility, and dexterity, and we aim to create more raised beds to allow more patients to benefit from this form of therapy. New benches will provide a place to sit and relax, as well as allowing the Chaplaincy Team to run outdoor mindfulness sessions to foster a sense of community and shared experience.

Greater Biodiversity
A current highlight of the garden at Moseley Hall Hospital is a small pond housing much-loved wild ducks. This funding will allow us to regenerate this area by creating a woodland haven for biodiversity, by making hiding spaces for frogs and toads, and designing the garden to encourage bugs and bees. Bee and bug hotels will surround the area and bird feeders, made by patients as part of their rehabilitation, will be included in the design to encourage wildlife. A new chamomile lawn will release fragrance when walked upon creating a relaxing and sensory experience.

Creating a Community Space
The garden will include a specifically designed area to welcome green space volunteers from the local community and host information sessions on local wildlife and wellbeing in nature. A separate area will house toadstool seating and a butterfly-shaped activity station, and local schools will be invited to fun and impactful biodiversity sessions facilitated by a local gardening charity, helping them to develop a desire to be in nature. 

Angela says, “ Creating a welcoming environment for therapeutic gardening, vegetable growing, and school engagement sessions; this new garden will tackle health inequalities head-on. It will serve as a safe, inclusive space for rest, recovery, education, and connection, with direct benefits for patients, NHS staff, and surrounding communities.”