Children’s oncology garden at PRH is transformed

12 July 2018

The Children’s Oncology garden at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford has undergone a £10,000 colourful transformation thanks to a dedicated team of fundraisers and volunteers.

The 12-month project has seen the garden fences painted in bright colours, coloured pebbles sprinkled in the gardens, and new play equipment purchased including a ‘Buddies Bench’, an outdoor table tennis table, and wooden kitchen toys. Even a row of wrought iron colourful flowers has been planted, adding further colour to the garden based in the Shropshire Women and Children’s Centre.

The outdoor space also has a pirate ship, a wooden summer house and brightly coloured furniture – as well as new storage for the children’s toys.

The project has been funded, and led by The Harry Johnson Trust. The Trust used funds donated to them by Nick Jones Wealth Planning in Shrewsbury and The Malcolm Whales Foundation to buy the summer house and the pebbles.

The team of volunteers who have helped have included Sally Johnson from the Harry Johnson Trust, the farm accounts team from Whittingham Riddell in Shrewsbury, Richard Twigg, Kerri Finazzi and staff from Capgemini in Telford.

Lisa Harries, Children’s Ward Play Co-ordinator at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust which runs PRH, said: “It really has transformed the garden and we can’t thank all our volunteers enough for all their hard work. Whatever we asked for, we got – and so much more.

“Now it is a fantastic, colourful and friendly space for the children to play in and enjoy – and also for their siblings who often come into the hospital and need space to go outside and play.”

Sally Johnson, for the Harry Johnson Trust, said: “When the ward asked us if there was something that we could do to make the garden much more friendly and fun for the children, we were so pleased to be able to help.

“We sourced everything that we used in the garden locally and, thanks to everyone who helped, painted and planted, the garden is now a really great space for all the children and their families.”