Celebrating 10 years of Bridgwater Community Hospital

Colleagues past and present joined together to officially open a new garden that marks 10 years of the new Bridgwater Community Hospital.

The current hospital opened on 30 April 2014, just off the town’s Bower Lane, replacing the former hospital in the town centre that dated back to the reign of George IV!

The new garden, located on the first floor, directly opposite the main staircase and next to the inpatient ward, has a selection of raised flowerbeds and benches for patients and visitors to use during their time at the hospital.

It’s all thanks to generous contributions from the Somerset NHS Charity, Bridgwater Hospital League of Friends, Bradfords and Wrencon Ltd, which have all made the garden project possible.

Mayor of Bridgwater, Jacqui Solomon, officially opened the garden and was joined by our colleagues, as well as those involved in creating the garden.

“The fact that this new garden links to the one below is great, and it’s great to come up and see the continuation…the raised beds are a great accessibility feature, with patients able to sit and garden”, Jacqui reflected.

The new garden was the brainchild of Norma Coombes, who up until recently had been senior matron at the hospital for over nine years.

“The idea sprung out of a visit to Monkton Elm Garden Centre, where there was a poster advertising the work of Jenny Short,” says Norma. “I contacted her and she put together a whole design for us.

“It’s great to celebrate this anniversary of the hospital and the garden will be a permanent fixture for colleagues and patients to enjoy, with all the different sights, colour and smells throughout the year.

“The new garden looks so fantastic, and I want to thank all those charities and local businesses who made donations to make it happen, as well as our very own trust estates team who installed that very important outside tap to ensure the plants and flowers get watered!

“All the teams at Bridgwater Hospital are all so lovely, and our inpatient ward has gone from strength to strength, with many new services to the hospital over the last 10 years.

“We sadly lost our hotel services lead, Carol Agnew, a few years ago, so colleagues at the hospital raised some money to purchase a bench in her memory, which takes pride of place in the garden.”

A coffee morning was also held alongside the grand opening, which was run by volunteers of the Bridgwater Hospital League of Friends.

The League of Friends, which was founded in 1955, has supported Bridgwater Community Hospital since it opened in 2014, having purchased over £200,000 of additional equipment during this time.

All the plants arrived on a Saturday and were planted by Norma, ward sister Donna Mellor, and a small team of helpers. Raised beds feature plants ranging from clematis, cyclamens, pansies, aquilegia and sedums.

Eddie Marsh, member and volunteer with the Bridgwater League of Friends, adds: “It was well worth the effort and it’s a real bonus for the patients who already like sitting up on the patio. In the summer it will be a real oasis of calm.”