The Scotsman

A royal wave: Queen greets pupils during Aberdeen trip

- RUSSELL JACKSON

The Queen waves to pupils from Abbotswell primary school during a visit to the Sue Ryder charity in Kincorth, Aberdeen. Sue Ryder supports people with complex needs and lifethreat­ening illnesses

The Queen has opened a £650,000 family roof garden at a hospital in Aberdeen.

The space is designed to give patients a flavour of the outdoors and help aid their recovery at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

She unveiled a plaque for the feature, which won awards at Chelsea Flower Show, and met former Scotland manager Craig Brown, who is one of the garden’s ambassador­s.

The royal visitor, who was wearing an Angela Kelly tweed coat with navy and white flecks and a matching hat, also took time to chat to nursing staff and patients.

Staff lined the corridors of the hospital and members of the public waited outside to catch a glimpse of the Queen.

Before being shown around the garden, designed by Professor Nigel Dunnett, she was shown a new stained glass window depicting parts of Scotland.

Paul Breen, a former patient who was at the hospital for two years after suffering an aneu- rysm, was delighted with the Queen’s reaction to the wheelchair-friendly space.

The 52-year-old said: “She congratula­ted me on the fundraisin­g for the garden and my part in that. I think it’s wonderful, it’s better than I expected it to be.” The garden, which has a variety of plants including lavender and ferns, also has a water feature.

 ?? PICTURE: PA ??
PICTURE: PA

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