Patients at Bo’ness Hospital will soon get a brighter outlook on life . . . .
One of the property’s gardens is set to get a revamp.
The project is being made possible thanks to an award of £15,000* from the Life Changes Trust. The Trust is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
Madelene Hunt, the chair of Bo’net – behind the garden project – said: “The hospital at Bo’ness currently has two separate garden spaces.
“Whilst one of them – serving ward two – is well-established and full of mature plants and flowers, the smaller garden – serving ward one – is looking a bit tired.
“This new project will work with the local community to revitalise the smaller garden, making it a more welcoming space for patients and their visitors to enjoy.”
Maria Ford from Bo’net said plans are being developed in consultation with hospital residents and staff.
She said: “There are a mix of patients within Bo’ness Hospital. Some have dementia and others are frail. We’ll be working closely with staff, residents and their families to finalise ideas for the transformation.
“As well as planting flowers, there are already proposals to grow fruit and vegetables in the garden, which in turn will lead to donations to the local food bank. I’m excited to see what develops on site.”
The Life Changes Trust is a Scottish charity supporting the empowerment and inclusion of people living with dementia and their unpaid carers.
Irene Martin, the clinical nurse manager responsible for Bo’ness Hospital, said: “The Life Changes Trust award is very welcome and will make a real difference to people living at Bo’ness Hospital.”
She also paid tribute to Bo’net – the Bo’ness Networking Group – for driving the project forward.
“Maria and the team at Bo’net have been hugely enthusiastic about helping the hospital. It’s great that their enthusiasm has attracted much-needed funding to make this project a reality.”
N.B. The project was originally awarded £12,000 in funding. This was increased to £15,000. This story has been updated to reflect this.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Bo’net – the Bo’ness Networking Group – is a charity representing groups across the Bo’ness area. It aims to support the development of community organisations and make the area a better place to live and work. Recent projects have included the creation of a new tourist map for Bo’ness and Blackness and support for new audio guides.
Bo’net is a SCIO – a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation – registered with OSCR, the Scottish Charity Regulator. The charity number is SC049848. Find out more at https://www.bonet.org.uk/
Bo’ness Hospital is a community hospital in Dean Road, Bo’ness. The current hospital building was opened in 2004, and provides 40 inpatient beds for physically frail older people and those with mental health problems. Find out more at https://nhsforthvalley.com/hospitals/boness-community-hospital/
The Life Changes Trust was set up with a National Lottery Community Fund endowment of £50 million to improve the lives of people living with dementia, unpaid carers of people living with dementia and young people with care experience. Find out more at https://www.lifechangestrust.org.uk/
Work with people with dementia has shown that the phrase “Dementia sufferers” or using the word suffering to describe dementia has a strongly negative view from people with the condition. We would request that you avoid using the phrase in headlines or in any article you publish to combat the negative way that people with dementia feel the condition is described.
For enquiries about the Life Changes Trust, contact: Deborah Cowan, Director of Communications and PR, Tel: 07710 542535
For enquiries about Bo’net, please contact: Adrian Mahoney, The PR Store, Tel: 07967 150560
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