Hospice gardens are unique spaces of reflection, memories, and personal therapy.
The gardens provide quiet places for the bereavement support of patients’ families. They promote the wellbeing of patients and staff, while offering opportunities for the hospice to engage with their local community for fundraising. Increasingly, hospices are using their grounds as part of their care plans, enabling patients to get outside along with the resulting benefits for mental health. All bedrooms were provided with outdoor gardens to allow patients’ beds to be pushed outside to experience their natural surroundings with friends and families.
We worked closely with volunteers at Kirkwood Hospice to preserve and enhance the much-loved garden as part of the development of a new wing, which extended into the grounds. The design’s inclusive access capitalised on the site levels to form a sun terrace overlooking an ornamental pond, lawns, seasonal planting, volunteer’s kitchen garden, and a spiritual labyrinth. The high quality of the design was recognised by a BALI award.
The retaining of a mature tree at the heart of the site provided a central focus for a community activity space, and a programme of fundraising events within the gardens were developed, including the annual ‘Light-up-a-Life’ evening.