A glorious garden can make all the difference
FOR many years I lived just around the corner from The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow.
On my way to Hyndland Station I’d pass it regularly, but I’d never crossed the door until earlier this summer when I was invited along to see what was growing on its balconies.
Once inside I took the lift to the fourth floor where Lisella Hutton was waiting to greet me in the Wellbeing Centre that is run by the Beatson Cancer Charity.
For the last five years Lisella has volunteered here one day a week, pushing a tea trolley around the corridors handing out refreshments to out-patients and chatting with in-patients who come to spend time in the Wellbeing Centre’s comfortable lounges.
The centre is delightful, but Lisella had long felt its balconies, with their drab paving slabs, were a bit of a let-down.
As a retired landscape architect, she’s a great believer in the uplifting properties of gardens, so she set about redesigning the balconies. Now they are bursting with bright, seasonal flowers and permanent foliage plants that flourish in this sunny but windswept spot.
The results are wonderful but getting to this stage hasn’t been easy. What Lisella hadn’t bargained for at the outset were the rules that govern the introduction of soil and plants into an environment where infection control is of paramount importance.
In the end it took months of careful planning until she finally got the go-ahead.
“It was tough to meet all the conditions, but finally we got there, thanks to the Glasgow Tree Lovers’ Society who donated most of the plants and to a group of willing volunteers.”
Most of those volunteers are plot-holders at Kelvinside Allotments but if more keen gardeners joined their ranks then Lisella says all of The Beatson’s many balconies, courtyards and outdoor spaces could be pressed into service as therapeutic gardens for the benefit of all those who use this vital service.
“We’ve already started work on some of the courtyards and gardens but there’s a lot more that could be done if only we could encourage more keen gardeners to get involved.
“Ideally we would like people with a bit of gardening experience who can spare a couple of hours every week to help with planting and on-going maintenance.”
The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre on Great Western Road in Glasgow treats 8000 new patients every year.
If I still lived in the neighbourhood then this is one appeal for help that I couldn’t resist and if anyone feels the same they can volunteer by calling the Beatson Cancer Charity on 0141 212 0505.
However The Beatson isn’t alone on relying on outside help. Many hospices, community gardens and National Trust Properties rely on volunteers to keep their gardens looking lovely, so why not seek out a project in your area where you can lend a hand.