Publish date: 26 July 2022

After a break of two years we are pleased to announce the Clayponds hospital gardening competition is back- bigger and better than before. Staff at the hospital were busy over the last few months preparing the gardens – planting, watering, weeding and feeding and the results bloom for themselves.

The competition led by Christine Wendam and Tina Dutton took place on Friday 22 July with a panel of four judges, Susan McCabe, Timothy Wilton, Stephanie Griffiths and Helen Ironside. The judges all have working links to Clayponds and were split into teams of two. The criteria were based on four categories;

  • Creativity
  • Collaboration and Participation
  • Cleanliness and orderliness
  • Overall presentation

The marks were awarded out of a 100 points and there were four gardens to judge - Admin, Magnolia, Jasmin and Rosemary. The judges met the staff/team for each garden who joined them for a walkabout and shared their journey of how they prepared the garden for the competition. The competition prizes were presented to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and Patient’s choice winners, in the spirit of the competition everyone is a winner for participating.

Here are the results

 

1st place - Rosemary garden

The Rosemary garden has a larger space with lots of features such as a wheel barrow, ornaments and a small water feature. The team led by Rachael and Tina told us the theme of the garden is ‘zen.’

The garden has been designed to offer tranquillity and peace for all that use it.

2nd place –Admin garden

 

Staff also use the gardens during their break times, helping them enjoy outdoor space and tranquillity beneficial to their well-being.

3rd place – Jasmin garden

The Jasmin garden features many benches, a hammock and a beverage bar were also set up for the staff and judges for refreshments.

4th place –Magnolia garden

The Magnolia ward is the newest gardening space with work commencing for the first time on the 17 May. The team are fairly new to gardening but have devoted their time, effort and resources to preparing the garden for the competition. They mentioned some of the challenges they faced were foxes digging up the Marigolds, which resulted in them having to restore the flowers. However, the team were keen to continue their efforts and motivation was high.

Patient’s Choice award –Admin garden 

Patients benefit from the gardens as they aid with the recovery process, offering them a chance to step outside of the clinical environment. In some cases, remembering the names of flowers and colours supports with their cognitive skills aiding with neurological recovery.

We asked Christine how the seed for the gardening competition planted? Christine said when the team began working at Clayponds hospital and looked out of the windows of their office, all they could see was overgrown weeds and plants. So she spoke to her colleague one day about improving the landscape and the gardening project took life 

Gardening is a passion project for the staff at Clayponds hospital, they volunteer their own time and resources for gardening. It’s a team effort, everyone is invested and they are also resourceful. Staff have grown their flower collection by using reseeding as a method for planting, adding to the trust’s sustainability drive. They also grow their own courgettes, mini cucumbers and raspberries which will make their way to the kitchen menu soon.

Well done Clayponds Hospital team you really have put West London in bloom!