New Funding Award Eases The Journey To Recovery For Patients

NHS Lothian Charity: Green Health is delighted to have awarded Cyrenians 3 years of funding to provide vital support to patients currently receiving care at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.

Cyrenians runs the community hospital garden, providing therapeutic support through green-activities that complement the care they receive during their stay. This funding will help Cyrenians to expand the work they do and establish a sustainable person-centred green health activity pathway. The therapeutic activities will support patients to use the community gardens and associated greenspace to improve their health and wellbeing. From the first connections with nature and gardens on the wards through to ongoing support on discharge the project will support people to move towards positive more stable futures.

Cyrenians Garden Manager, Lucy Holroyd, said:

This funding is a brilliant support to our team here at the Royal Edinburgh Garden. It not only means that we are able to continue working with patients in the wards and run our garden activity groups, but it has also allowed us to start a new project welcoming patients who have been discharged back to the gardens for ongoing support.

“For many of the people we support, adjusting to life back at home after a long stay in hospital is difficult, particularly for those who have come to rely on the peer support of participating in our community garden activities. We have wanted to be able to offer continued support for discharged patients for a long time, and strongly believe that being able to continue participating in the growth of the garden will support people to maintain their recovery post-hospital.

“Recovery is a long journey, and leaving hospital is not the end of that journey, but simply a step along the way. Thanks to NHS Lothian Charity, we’re now able to be there for people longer, ensuring that people have all the support they need to remain out of hospital and independent.”

Ian Mackenzie, Green Health Programme Manager at NHS Lothian Charity, said: 

We are delighted to support Cyrenians on the development of a sustainable pathway for Green Health Activities at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. The benefits of these therapeutic activities are well known and the demand for these activities has never been higher. Improving the health and wellbeing of people and communities across Edinburgh and the Lothians is at the heart of everything we do at the Charity, and projects like these are key to achieving this.”

Image Credit: Will Collier