two women sat talking outside

St John’s Hospital

Find out more about the Green Health projects and activities that are taking place on site

St John’s Hospital is a modern teaching hospital that provides a comprehensive range of services, including a 24-hour Accident and Emergency Department. The woodlands and grassland on site form an important part of the green network in the new town of Livingston.

Fragments of well-established policy woodland, tree shelter belts and grassland give the hospital a green backdrop. The site is surrounded by parks and woodlands that are rich in wildlife and connected into an extensive network of off road walking and cycling routes.

Working together with staff on site, we support the delivery of Green Health solutions that help improve health and wellbeing and increase biodiversity on site.

Discover walking routes from the hospital with the Go Jauntly

Find new walking tours based on your location. Simple photo guides help you navigate while nifty tips point out things of interest. Sign up to walking challenges or enjoy green routes from A to B or circular walking routes. Take pictures, add details that other people may find useful and share with the growing community.

Download the App
4 people walking along a path holding tea mugs

Get involved in regular Wild Ways Well activities on site

Wild Ways Well for NHS Staff

Closed sessions for NHS Lothian staff only with The Conservation Volunteers to support you to access and experience the natural spaces, species and activities that are around the hospital grounds.

Contact Paul Barclay for details

St John’s Nature and Wellbeing Group

Weekly sessions with The Conservation Volunteers that support you to access and experience the natural spaces, species and activities to support your wellbeing. These sessions are only for NHS Lothian patients.

Mondays 1-4pm

Contact Paul Barclay for details

St John’s Pentland Court Garden Group

Closed group for NHS Lothian patients.

Wednesdays 10-1pm

Contact Paul Barclay for details

Walled Garden Wellbeing Group

This is an open group for the public.

Help us to look after the garden – and yourself! We undertake a variety of tasks to help make the garden an even better place for people and wildlife, while also spending time learning about the nature that is all around us, getting arty, and relaxing in this beautiful green space.

Thursdays 1-4pm

The sessions are led by The Conservation Volunteers

Contact Paul Barclay for details
Two sets of hands looking at plants

Noticing Nature Wellbeing Walk

This is an open group for the public.

This is not a about marching from A to B, it’s about taking the slow road, and noticing the nature around us as we walk. Every week we take a gentle stroll around Ladywell, Howden, and the surrounding area, look for seasonal nature highlights, and chat about what we see.

Fridays 1-3.30pm

The sessions are led by The Conservation Volunteers

Contact Paul Barclay for details
Paul Barclay standing up talking to people during a Wild Well Way workshop at St Johns

Green Health Projects on Site

New outdoor courtyard for A&E staff at St John'sA new outdoor space is now available for A&E staff to enjoy their breaks. The area features seating, a picnic table, a canopy for shade, and planters that will bloom in spring. Trellises have also been installed to encourage climbing plants and attract wildlife. Staff requested deep planters for therapeutic gardening, and lighting is on its way.

Special thanks to Fred Stoneman from the Grounds and Gardens team at St J who propelled this forward with positivity and enthusiasm and a lovely vision of what the space could become in the warmer months!

Paul Barclay smiling whilst holding up a pot of tea

This three-year project in partnership with The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), Ladywell Neighbourhood Network (LNN), The National Lottery Community Fund and NHS Lothian Charity is creating beneficial links between spending time amongst nature and people’s wellbeing.

Find out more 

Coming soon. We are consulting with staff in the IPCU ward at St John’s on an enhancement of their patient courtyard. We’ll share more news on the project when we have it.

Green Health News from St John’s

Winter 2025: TCV Senior Project Officer, Paul Barclay …

“Research shows however that there are some simple things that we can all do to combat the winter blues, and one of the best ones is to simply go outside! It may not be attractive looking out the window at the drizzle and the grey skies, but getting outside amongst nature at this time of year can actually be incredibly rewarding.”
Read more
a tree in autumn with golden leaves

Autumn 2024: TCV Senior Project Officer, Paul Barclay …

“Every week, I hear stories from participants about their lives, the challenges they face, the issues they are living with. And every week, I watch the stress and the strain lift off them as we feel the sun (or rain!) on our skin, and we walk and talk together in amongst the beauty of the woods and garden.”
Read more
Two TCV mugs with flasks and hot chocolate

Winter 2024: Embracing Winter through our Wild Ways We…

Senior Project Officer with TCV, Paul Barclay shares his latest updates from our Wild Ways Well winter sessions.
Read more
Green Social Prescribing workshop

Nature Heals

It’s a simple statement, a simple message, but sometimes the simple things are the most powerful. Paul Barclay from TCV supports our Green Health programme at St Johns. Read his blog about the healing power of nature
Read more

Join our Green Health Network

Sign up and get involved in supporting the provision of therapeutic outdoor activities and enhancements of green spaces around St John’s Hospital.

Sign up today