A project which has created a haven for staff, patients and visitors at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley was officially opened at a special ceremony on Friday.
The event marked the culmination of years of hard work which has brought a dilapidated pond back to life, created HALO (Health Workers and Loved Ones) gardens for staff and visitors and seen a Forget-Me-Not mural painted on the hospital Chaplaincy.
Together, the projects – first mooted in 2020 – have created a space that offers respite for staff, patients and wildlife alike.
The revitalised pond, with its associated boardwalk, jetty and outdoor learning area, was opened with a ribbon cutting before dignitaries enjoyed a tour of the hospital grounds to see the other projects in situ.
The pond project has been created with the expertise of award-winning landscape architects Rolf Roscher and Felicity Steers of ERZ Landscape Architects who played a pivotal role in making the vision become a reality.
Opening the pond, Professor Tom Steele, director of facilities and estates at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC), said: “This project is a fantastic example of collaboration between professionals, the third sector, the local community, and all users of the hospital site.
“It demonstrates how we can work together to achieve something that meaningfully contributes to both the sustainability agenda and the health and wellbeing agenda.
“It also presents a key part of transforming the outdoor estate at the RAH campus. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those involved.”
The mural painted on the Chaplaincy wall was completed earlier this month and can be seen from the pond.
It was designed by Faye Ward who won a competition which tasked artists to create a mural that reflected the healing power of nature.
Her mural, which includes forget–me-nots and references the recent planting within the HALO Gardens, features the phrase “to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow”.
It was painted on to the Chaplaincy building by art pistol artist Ali Smith and Rogue One Robert McNamara.
Martin Johnston, head of sustainability at NHSGGC, said: “High-quality greenspace is increasingly being recognised for its importance, and the new RAH pond is an ideal example of how improvements to the outdoor environment can bring real benefits to the health and wellbeing of our patients, visitors and staff.
"I would like to thank all those who have been involved in this and other important projects at the RAH, and across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.”
The HALO gardens are based on a concept conceived by Felicity Steers and Elle Steele during lockdown to provide an outdoor sanctuary for friends and families to meet safely when social distancing measures were in place.
There are four at the hospital, which have continued to provide a space for socialising and solitude for staff, patients, and visitors now that restrictions have eased.
Welcoming the creation of the gardens and the mural, Yvonne Dolan, lead nurse at the RAH, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic brought many challenges to staff, patients and families.
“Outdoor space became increasingly important to allow patients and families to visit briefly but safely and to staff for respite from the challenging clinical environment, particularly the PPE being worn in intensive care units.
“The HALO gardens have given us accessible intimate spaces for our use visible from the intensive care unit.
“The mural was commissioned to enhance the HALOs further and provide a welcome distraction to all patients overlooking this building.”
Yesterday’s event also provided an opportunity to view the Renfrewshire tapestry, a unique project that allowed patients, staff, volunteers and members of the public to contribute to a visual outline of the area’s past, present and future. The tapestry — currently on display in the RAH dining hall — comprises several printed boards and two suspended stitched panels.
Accompanying the panels are embroidered teardrops, circles and crosses made by people from all over the world telling their own personal stories in the form of embroidery.
So far, more than 450 of these have been created, telling very personal tales of where people worked, their families, what they did outside work, and places they went to in Renfrewshire.
Jackie Sands, senior arts and health lead at NHSGGC, said: “It has long been recognised that health care goes far beyond the therapies that patients receive, and I am pleased that so much work is now being put into the physical environment in which that care is provided.
“The recent developments across the RAH site, and elsewhere in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, made in collaboration with commissioned artists, designers and partnerships, are already attracting positive feedback, and I hope they will be of huge benefit to everybody who receives care, and who works, in all our hospitals.”
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