A new sensory garden has opened at Wokingham Hospital with help from sponsorship from local companies including Vistry Group.
The housebuilder, which is providing new homes under its Bovis Homes brand at Emmbrook Place off Queens Road, donated £500 to Wokingham in Need, the charity which created the garden in the hospital grounds.
The garden was officially opened by Wokingham Borough Mayor Cllr Beth Rowland, Wokingham Town Council Mayor Cllr Sally Gurney, hospital patient Caroline Collins, Chair of Trustees for Wokingham in Need Maurice Monk and Wokingham in Need founder, Sue Jackson on Friday 1 September at an event which was attended by representatives from Vistry Thames Valley and other sponsors.
Sue Jackson, founder of Wokingham in Need, said: “We are very grateful for the support that we have received from our sponsors to help bring the sensory garden to life.
“We have put in a great deal of work to transform the blank canvas of the outdoor space at the hospital into a calm area for reflection that patients, staff and the general public can all go to.”
Wokingham in Need was founded by Sue in 2015 to provide support for homeless and those who are most vulnerable in the community. The charity has worked on various diverse projects within the area since then. All its volunteers are unpaid.
The sensory garden project was supported by various sponsors as well as local garden centres which provided plants and flowers to bring the garden to life.
Wokingham in Need will maintain the garden and work alongside the team at the hospital, led by Inpatient Service Manager Ellen Bowley, to enhance the area even further.
Alix Laflin, marketing manager for Vistry Thames Valley, said: “It was a pleasure to be able to attend the opening event, and see how the charity’s hard work has transformed this space into a beautiful sensory garden at the hospital.
“Supporting the local community, which is what Wokingham in Need is all about, is also one of our key priorities as a local housebuilder and we were pleased to be involved in helping make this wonderful project a reality.”
