Our Nature Rehabilitation Ranger, Lou Evans, works with patients and staff on site two days a week. With over 20 years of experience in therapeutic and community settings, Lou focuses on creating a connection between nature and the hospital environment to benefit patients, staff, and the wider community. She’s enthusiastic about working with staff and patients and collaborating with those on site to use the hospital’s green spaces to promote health and wellbeing and improve biodiversity.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Lou has a number of engagement programmes under development for 2025 at the Royal Infirmary, including regular nature-focussed wellbeing walks for staff at lunch time from mid February, developing bespoke programme of nature based-growing activities to take directly to staff teams, and reaching out to staff who want to co design nature based toolkits for their patient work. Anyone wanting to know more/support this work, get in touch by emailing: [email protected]

A huge thank you to everyone who came out to help us plant these beautiful containers at the entrance and create a more welcoming and calming environment for patients, visitors and staff as they enter the hospital. Everyone who participated also learned some useful tips about container gardening that they can take home and use to create their own beautiful outdoor spaces. Thanks also go to Caledonian Horticulture for the generous donation of compost for this activity.

Well done to everyone who braved the colder weather and helped us plant4,000 crocus bulbs alongside the wellbeing walk. These will provide a pop of colour in early spring and much-needed nectar for bees. We can’t wait to see them spring up!

Even as the days shortened and the temperatures dropped, Lou was able to show staff what opportunities exist indoors to unwind and connect with nature. Her no soil growing workshop with renal and liver support service provided an engaging indoor activity to enhance wellbeing and demonstrate sustainable and space-efficient gardening practices.

We also got into the festive spirit, leading 30-minute workshops on how to make and decorate simple garlands and table decorations from natural materials. We were delighted to see all the creativity and provide an activity where staff could take a much-deserved break from work to enjoy themselves and unwind.

“It was nice to switch off for a bit and do something creative and also have something nice to take home from the day, especially on the back of high pressure/demand work that can sometimes just feel like firefighting.”

Following a series of consultation events with staff, we are progressing work on the staff wellbeing courtyard.

The Staff Courtyard at OPD6 will be focused on Staff Wellbeing at Work, providing private and relaxing spaces surrounded in lovely greenery.

Plans are progressing with the development of the garden. Permission to build the garden has now been secured from EQUANS and the team are finalising the designs. Staff joined us in the garden for a winter warmer to see the plans and ask any question they might have.

The Panda Courtyard will continue to focus on patient activities such as gardening and low impact movement with the surrounding gardening to stimulate the senses. We have completed design options for enhancements of the Panda Courtyard and are working with teams on site to look at how these can be implemented.

Work is commencing on designs for how we can enhance this peaceful space at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People.