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| From Left to Right: Jack Henson, Craig Ratcliff, Warren Oldershaw team members of C.A.R. Gardens. |
Seagrove Ward, Sevenacres, St Mary’s Hospital, Newport, Isle of Wight.
On Thursday 19th September the new garden and artworks at Seagrove ward, Sevenacres
was officially opened by Mark Edmond, Head of Mental Health Services, Isle of Wight NHS Trust. The
replanting and redesign of Seagrove’s internal ward garden is to create a more healing environment for
patients in its care.
The Psychiatric Intensive Care Ward of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, has commissioned the new garden
with a grant of £5,000 from the Friends of St. Mary’s and with a £2,000 legacy held by Healing Arts.
Guy Eades, Director of Healing Arts says “Through the generosity of the Friends of St. Mary’s and a
legacy we have been able to transform the environment in the Garden at Seagrove Ward, Sevenacres
so that it is now a healing environment for the Island’s acute mental health patients.”
Our role involved rejuvenating the poor soil, creating a new herb and edibles bed, placed climbing wall plants around the perimeter, built a new garden bench and installed night time solar lighting. We designed a planting plan that was safe, utilising many herbs, plants with edible flowers, an Olive tree in the centre, and lots of climbing plants to soften the oppressive perimeters. Thorn-less Roses were chosen, and self clinging and twinning plants chosen to reduce the amount of tying in and reducing the amount of wiring systems; all elements which could be potentially dangerous to the patients.
‘Seahorses studios’ in Freshwater and its team of skilled local volunteers led by artist Boris Moscoff
were commissioned to make 4 mosaic wall panels to complement the planting and to provide all year
round artwork for the garden:
https://www.facebook.com/seahorsesart
Guy Eades continued in the Hospital’s press release: “The work of ‘C.A.R. Gardens’ and ‘Seahorses Studios’ through their skill, imagination and understanding have made a garden that can be enjoyed throughout the year and is
enormously supportive of the healthcare delivered at Seagrove.”
Photographs and a description of the Garden will be displayed on the News pages of the Healing Arts
section of the IoW NHS Trusts website:
www.iow.nhs.uk/healingarts
You can see a diary of images of how we created the garden on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.538600779483934.125427.148866091790740&type=1&l=dbe512a012
The Isle of Wight County Press ran an article about this garden opening:
http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/friends-step-in-to-help-fund-garden-51081.aspx?mn=1
The Island Echo:
http://www.islandecho.co.uk/news/new-garden-seagrove-ward/
