Rainbow garden will be a haven at hospital
New ‘pretty, tranquil’ space officially opens after five-year project
A RAINBOW garden has been officially opened at the West Berkshire Community Hospital.
The project has been five years in the making with the pandemic hindering progress, but things are looking brighter now that the final touches have been made.
Newbury Cancer Care director of operations Helen Milroy said: “There’s a peaceful, pretty, tranquil feel to the rooms. It is a breath of fresh air.
“The previous view was not what you want to be seeing when looking out of a window.
“It was depressing to, each day, be looking out at a wall.”
The space is a new addition to the hospital and complements the existing Rainbow Rooms, of which, Mrs Milroy said, the charity now has four.
There are two rooms on the Highclere Ward and two on the Donnington Ward.
Mrs Milroy said the garden had many benefits, including
improving the mental health of patients and their loved ones.
She commented on the impact that nature, colours and fresh air has on a patient and said the change of scenery will be greatly appreciated.
“We will never get away from the fact that it is a hospital, but this will help with the stress and it will be good for families,” she added.
She said that the nurses are amazing at making patients’ final memories positive ones and said the garden will help with this.
Friends and family members can also stay overnight in ‘cuddle beds’ which allow patients to be closer to their loved ones when in a hospital bed.
Mrs Milroy said her colleague Christine Stockwell was integral to the project as well as the volunteers, in the form of businesses and individuals, who donated their time and their money.
“The opening ceremony is a celebration of all people who have donated money,” she said.
The garden comes with a mural painted by Frankie Cummins, a bench and garden features that create a bright but relaxing atmosphere.
The garden is a result of donations from around 50 different organisations, topped off by a large donation from the Mikki Coleman Trust.
Mikki Coleman was a patient from Reading, who benefited from the loan of equipment from Newbury Cancer Care.
Before she died, she set up the trust with the wish to distribute her money to worthy causes and make a difference.
Various business also donated their time and equipment during the building stages and the gardening.