IIt was a pleasure to attend yesterday's official opening of the new Healing Garden and rest area at the back of Purley Memorial Hospital, Brighton Road. It was opened by Matthew Kershaw, CEO of Croydon NHS Trust and Rev Andy Dovey of the NHS Chaplaincy.
Several volunteers have worked for several months to transform this patch of waste land into an attractive garden with a water feature, lots of plants and tables and chairs. Pam Manisier from Purley in Bloom was instrumental in the design and implementation; most of the funding came from the Purley Rotary Club which is celebrating its Centenary this year, so we also heard a short speech from its president Andrew Pickering.
The garden is accessible through the gate to the left of the main entrance and it's intended to provide peace and tranquillity for all patients and staff, some of whom ,may have suffered stressful events, or received bad news. It will provide a worthy addition to the hospital's amenities and to Purley in general.
