At the weekend, staff from construction company Tilbury Douglas turned volunteer to help supporters of mums and babies charity Baby Beat, which devised the garden of hope plan, begin to uproot overgrown shrubs from an internal courtyard at the maternity unit.
Once the land has been totally cleared, it will be transformed by the installation of seating, flower-filled planters and soft lighting paid for by a £10,000 donation from members of Leyland Round Table.
The donation will also be used to purchase a bespoke, handcrafted stainless steel sculpture of a tree from Lancashire artists collective Forjd. The tree has been commissioned especially for the project.
Rebecca Arestidou, who was one of the volunteers and also works as trust, grant, fundraising impact and project officer for Baby Beat, said: “We hope the garden will help to improve the well-being of bereaved families by offering them a positive place of commemoration and reflection close to where they were last with their baby. It will be a serene, private space where nature will also help them heal and look to the future.
“We are very grateful to members of Leyland Round Table for their support for this project, which is something bereaved families suggested to us. We are hoping the garden will be completed by autumn.”
Charles Lawrence, Chairman of Leyland Round Table, said: “It is a great honour and privilege to be given the opportunity to support the garden of hope project.”
Baby Beat funds specialist equipment, patient services and comforts, clinical care, local research, additional training and staff welfare projects at the Royal Preston Hospital’s Sharoe Green Maternity Unit so that its maternity and gynaecology teams can offer the best possible outcomes for babies and mums in the Central Lancashire and Chorley area.
Baby Beat also supports the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which is Lancashire and South Cumbria’s regional specialist NICU. It provides exceptional care for the most premature and poorly babies and their families from across the two counties. For further information on Baby Beat’s work and how to support, visit www.babybeat.org.uk
Leyland Round Table is a friendship community for men aged 45 and under, which works to support the wider community through service and fundraising. For further details, see Leyland Round Table’s Facebook page.