We did it! Lavender Garden fundraising success for UHD Charity

Following the launch of the Lavender Garden appeal in 2021, University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity has reached the £35,000 fundraising target! Thanks to the phenomenal response from the Dorset community and staff at University Hospitals Dorset, work will soon commence to bring the garden to life, providing a private space for all staff to remember, reflect, rest and recharge.

The quick success of this appeal is down to the amazing contributions from our supporters, including a wonderful anonymous donation of £25,000. This level of support for staff health and wellbeing within such a short space of time demonstrates how incredibly grateful our community is for the outstanding work carried out by staff at University Hospitals Dorset.

The project was initially proposed by the Royal Bournemouth Hospital theatres team who visualised a beautiful green space in which to remember Anna and Tom, two colleagues who they sadly lost to cancer in 2020.

Donna Bailey, surgical first assistant, said: “The day Anna died was one of the saddest days for me, I left her in the hospice the day before with a bunch of lavender from my garden. The idea of creating a space in memory of our dear friends came from this. The more we talked about the garden the more I realised that it wasn’t just for Anna, Tom and their families but for everyone who has loved and lost or is just in need of a space for wellbeing and headspace. The Lavender Garden will offer a place of calm and tranquility. The day I was told the charity had helped us raise the money is a day I will always remember. We are overwhelmed. Words cannot describe how grateful we are. To know that so many people will benefit from this space will be exactly what Anna and Tom would have wanted.”

The Lavender Garden will bring light into the hospital. It will feature a pagoda, seating and a summerhouse surrounded by beautiful raised flower beds and evergreen plants. Whether it’s a peaceful place to decompress during difficult shifts, recharge with colleagues after a long day inside or reflect upon both the difficulties of the past two years and the days filled with lovely memories, the garden will be an incredibly special and unique place within the grounds of the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

If you are interested in finding out more about how you can support the charity and our other projects, stay up to date by following @UHDCharity on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, visiting UHDcharity.org or contacting the University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity office on 0300 019 4060/8449.

Donna Bailey, surgical first assistant at RBH, in the space where the Lavender Garden will be created