Kids bring colour toLady Home Hospital

A shared love of growing has brought a local hospital and primary school together.
Douglas PS pupils help plant Lady Home Hospital Garden. July 2019Douglas PS pupils help plant Lady Home Hospital Garden. July 2019
Douglas PS pupils help plant Lady Home Hospital Garden. July 2019

In a scheme co-ordinated by the Lanark-based Clydesdale Community Initiatives (CCI), Primary 6 pupils from Douglas Primary School have been sowing vegetable seeds and helping inpatients at the village’s Lady Home Hospital to transplant the seedlings toplant boxes at the hospital.

Said a spokesperson for the project: “It’s a perfect partnership and there is even a competition in place for the children to see who can grow the best vegetables.”

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CCI sessional worker, Jamie Hope said: “The kids were very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about growing vegetables and it was great to see the interaction between the children and the inpatients.”

A hospital inpatient commented: “It was a nice change of scenery being outdoors in the fresh air and seeing all the schoolchildren busily planting. It was a great day and we can’t wait for good weather to go out again.”

The Lady Home food growing project is part of NHS Lanarkshire Green Health Partnership. Five hospitals are involved across Lanarkshire: Lady Home, Kirklands, Coathill, Cleland and Udston.

At each hospital CCI have set up groups of volunteers to grow vegetables for the hospital inpatients and also the Clydesdale Foodbank.

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Inpatients are encouraged to join in with the growing sessions too as gardening and other forms of outdoor exercise have been shown to be very beneficial to health and wellbeing and can provide benefits for patients who are in recovery or coping with chronic health problems.

If you have some spare time and would like to volunteer with the hospital group or others, email [email protected] or phone 01555 664211.

More info at http://www.elament.org.uk/support-projects-groups/projects-campaigns/greenspace/