Flower Show garden arrives at Chelmsford

A garden designed and featured at last year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show has been gifted to Chelmsford Ambulance Station as a space for staff to enjoy and unwind.

Being outside is great for our wellbeing but finding the time to enjoy the outdoors can be a challenge in a busy job. Enhancing the Trust’s outdoor spaces to give colleagues a chance to unwind, has been a recent focus for the East of England Ambulance Service Charity. The ability to have a nice space to sit outside, in the fresh air, even for a few minutes can help improve anyone’s day. 

Over the last 18 months, the Charity has helped to support a number of wellbeing gardens across the Trust, providing staff and volunteers with an area for relaxation, reflection and respite. Volunteers have even given up their own time to support these projects for their colleagues.

The Chelmsford garden which was created for the 2021 Chelsea Flower Show, and based around the title ‘60^o East – A Garden Between Continents’ is the most recent addition. It was donated and redesigned to fit the identified space by a local Chelmsford garden design and landscape company Cube 1994 Ltd. The garden is nearing completion thanks to the dedication of Paramedic Angela Andersen along with support of the Chelmsford management team.

Longwater and Basildon

In August 2021, a small group of staff and volunteers worked tirelessly to completely revamp a piece of waste ground on the Longwater site, turning it into a peaceful space for staff.

Later the same year, the Basildon wellbeing garden opened. The garden was created on a disused corner of the carpark, and features a flagpole, mural wall, container planting and a commemorative bench, dedicated to EEAST colleague Neil Ruch. Mike Bates, Basildon AGM, said: ‘We need spaces like this to take a few minutes, whether it's to decompress or have a chat with a colleague. It really is invaluable.’

The impact of these gardens and the value associated with the health and wellbeing benefits cannot be underestimated and as part of the project, further sites are earmarked for future projects.

The Charity has also been lucky enough to secure a grant from NHS Charities Together, which not only supported the funding of a number of wellbeing gardens, it also enabled the distribution of over 120 benches across 80 Trust sites. The benches were chosen to enhance and encourage the use of outdoor spaces and to provide an alternative space for breaks.

Using charitable funds in your area

Charitable funds have also been used by several departments to improve their outdoor and indoor environment, including Loughton Ambulance station who have utilised station funds to enhance their existing memorial garden, with various items including solar lighting, decking, planters and bird feeders.

Charitable funds are accessible to all EEAST colleagues, whether frontline or support services. If your station or office would like to utilise charitable funds to enhance your station, office or breakout room please contact charitablefunds@eastamb.nhs.uk to find out more or visit Charitable fund

This is all possible, thanks to the generosity from donations, legacy gifts and grants which enable us to support our staff, volunteers and local communities in ways above and beyond what NHS funding can ordinarily provide. The East of England Ambulance Service Charity is proud to support the staff, volunteers and local communities in EEAST.

Published 4th May 2022