Kurt Jackson has contributed beautiful sculpture to a new rehabilitation and sensory healing garden for critically ill patients at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.
The new Critical Care Healing Garden, which is located immediately below the Critical Care Unit at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, has been filled with sensory plants, two outdoor hospital bed spaces, a rehabilitation bridge, peaceful seating areas for families, carers and staff, and beautiful bird sculptures made from Cornwall granite and bronze, designed created and donated by Kurt Jackson.
Kurt said “I am delighted that this series of my sculptures is to be seen in the Critical Care Garden at Treliske Hospital. With my artistic endeavors involved in The Cove Macmillan Support Centre and The Urology Diagnostic and Treatment Unit at Treliske it seems fitting to be in the garden now as well.
“Four generations of my family have used the health facilities here at the hospital in recent years so I am forever grateful to the staff here for their tireless work and pleased to be able to make this small offer in return.
“To me the birds [doves] symbolise freedom and peace, something we should all aspire to; Cornish bronze and Cornish granite, they are born of this place.”
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Full Press Release Below
Dedicated Healing Garden Opens for Critical Care Patients
Posted on: 21 September 2023
The installation of external piped medical gases, amongst the first of any NHS Trust
A new rehabilitation and sensory healing garden for critically ill patients has officially been opened at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro by leading explorer and founder of Survival International, Robin Hanbury-Tenison OBE.
The new Critical Care Healing Garden, which is located immediately below the Critical Care Unit at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, has been filled with sensory plants, two outdoor hospital bed spaces, a rehabilitation bridge, peaceful seating areas for families, carers and staff, and beautiful bird sculptures made from Cornwall granite and bronze, donated by Cornish artist, Kurt Jackson.
The serene courtyard space is also one of the first therapeutic gardens in the country to have medical gases directly piped into a dedicated outdoor space. This enables patients to spend as much time as they are able experiencing the healing powers of the natural environment.
The design, creation and installation of the Healing Garden has been funded entirely by charitable donation, greatly assisted by Robin Hanbury-Tenison and his wife, Louella’s magnificent fundraising campaign.
Robin, who lives in Cornwall, believes that the Healing Garden at University Hospitals Plymouth saved his life after he contracted Covid-19 and vowed to encourage all acute hospitals in the UK to create critical care gardens. Kym Vigus, RCHT Critical Care Staff Nurse, has also long campaigned to create a Healing Garden at the Royal Cornwall Hospital.
The design for the Critical Care Healing Garden was created by local landscape design company, Lavigne Lonsdale, who were inspired to create a stunning yet practical garden following consultation with Critical Care Unit staff and ex-patients.
Cornish civil engineering contractor Cormac Ltd, together with South West Surfacing Specialists Ltd built the garden with local materials and meticulous attention to detail, whilst expert Cornwall-based gardeners, Alasdair Moore from Heligan, Charles Fox from Glendurgan and Mark Holman, the Palace Gardener, came together to design the planting scheme, rich in vibrant colours and textures. RCHT Project Manager, Rob Hague, has seen the garden through the construction and gas installation phases, after initial consultancy and cost advice was donated free of charge by Truro-based property and construction consultants, Ward Williams Associates.
The entire project has also been filmed voluntarily by local filmmaker, Peter Champness, who is producing a local documentary for RCHT about the creation of the Critical Care Healing Garden.
“My wife, Louella, and I are absolutely delighted to see this wonderful Critical Care Healing Garden officially opened today,” says Robin Hanbury-Tenison OBE. “It’s been three years since we started on the journey to create this oasis of calm and tranquility, and I hope that many critically ill patients here at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, together with their outstanding team of healthcare professionals and carers, will benefit from the healing and rehabilitation powers of the great outdoors for years to come.
It has been a tremendous team effort and I want to thank all the RCHT staff and contractors who have been involved with the project, as well as the army of donors, supporters and volunteers whose generosity, knowledge and kindness have made it possible.”
“This Critical Care Healing Garden is a huge asset to our unit,” adds Kym Vigus, RCHT Critical Care Staff Nurse. “For clinical teams to be able to bring patients down to the courtyard to feel the fresh air and see the sky, to smell the plants and hear birdsong, is very special. It will generate incredibly positive experiences for our patients as part of their individual pathways to recovery.”
Andy Berryman, Cormac’s Infrastructure Operations Contract Manager says: “Cormac is really proud to have been a part of creating this garden. It looks fantastic, and it will provide a pleasant and peaceful space for patients to connect with nature.”
“This is an exceptionally important day for the Royal Cornwall Hospital,” says Steve Williamson, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. “We’re excited to be amongst the first NHS Trusts in England to have enabled piped medical gases directly into our new Critical Care Healing Garden, as this will be so beneficial to our most vulnerable and sickest patients.
To have such a beautifully-designed space at the heart of our hospital, which is also highly accessible and practical, even for the most critically ill patients, is superb. I want to thank everyone who has played a part in creating this very special place. I know our dedicated Critical Care team is very grateful and are looking forward to using the space to continue delivering outstanding care.”
This is lovely to see. Thank you for contributing.
Thank you Jenna – it is an honour to be involved!