Harefield Hospital’s Healing Garden wins award for best ‘green space for wellbeing’

Staff and volunteers at Harefield Hospital have expressed their delight after the hospital’s Healing Garden scooped a national NHS Forest Award in the category, best ‘green space for wellbeing’.

The tranquil garden – thoughtfully designed and lovingly cultivated by volunteers – stood out to judges as a ‘safe and meaningful space in nature’.

Rosie Pope, co-founder of the Healing Garden and regular volunteer, commented: “We are thrilled that the Healing Garden has received this award. It recognises the effort put in by our fantastic team of volunteers to provide a calming space where clinical care can integrate with nature. We are delighted that it is used by so many staff to recharge their batteries too!”

The annual NHS Forest Awards recognise NHS Forest sites who have created inspiring green spaces and used them in innovative ways. Organisers said of the Healing Garden: “There was strong competition in this category and your project really stood out as offering a safe and meaningful space in nature for patients to recover.”

Harefield Hospital general manager, Michael White, said: “The Healing Garden has become part of the fabric of Harefield hospital. It’s one of our jewels. And I’m over the moon it has been awarded a crown. Our volunteers have created a secluded sanctuary that offers staff, patients and visitors a totally different perspective from the hospital environment. People use it to reflect, to be in nature, to connect with others – it’s even used as part of patient therapy.”

Motivated by personal experiences of the isolating nature of long hospital stays, Rosie and co-founder Catherine Perry, led a fundraising campaign alongside former patients’ families, hospital staff, and the hospital charity, to create a garden that would offer comfort, connection and calm to patients and their loved ones.

Rosie’s son was treated for dilated cardiomyopathy at Harefield before he received a heart transplant four years later. She said: “The day I was able to take him outside after many months, I saw the immediate effect that nature had on him. He wanted to get better, to be part of the world again. That’s when the idea of a Healing Garden began, to encourage others to get outside into nature.”

The Healing Garden was built in 2020 on half an acre of rough grass and tarmac, near the hospitals’ wards. It was designed with therapeutic intent, and features smooth-surfaced, accessible curving paths that encourage slow, mindful movement. Green tones soothe the senses and ergonomically designed benches provide rest and reflection points. Wildlife-friendly planting attracts pollinators, while features like an insect hotel, butterfly mound and wildflower areas support biodiversity.

The volunteer team that maintains the Healing Garden comprises members of the local Harefield community, former patients and staff. They are supported by Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity with grant funding.

Patients describe the garden as “a lifesaver [that] has undoubtedly speeded up my recovery” and “a place that puts the breath back into all who walk here.” For those undergoing long-term treatment—some for over 18 months—the garden offers a sense of normality and connection to the outside world.

Staff and patients’ families and carers also benefit, finding moments of peace and restoration during demanding days. One visitor reflected: “It’s a wonderful asset in an often stressful and overwhelming environment.”

Harefield Hospital takes a broad approach to developing its outdoor spaces to support sustainability and wellbeing. A conservation management plan has guided enhancements such as improved access to two Borough Grade II ponds, the creation of a honey-producing apiary, and diversifying plant life across the site including volunteer-planted wildflower meadows and NHS Forest trees.

The Healing Garden and its surrounding green spaces have become an integral part of the hospital’s identity. As one patient put it, “The moment I was driven through the gates of Harefield Hospital, I saw the beautiful Healing Garden and thought, I’m going to be well looked after here.”

You can watch a short video about the Healing Garden, which demonstrates its value to staff, patients and the local community.