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Hospital group get new focus after beds campaign

Ellen Knightin Bishop's Castle
News imageBBC Photo of Bryce looking into the camera and smiling. She is wearing a white shirt with a floral pattern, and is stood in front of a stone wall with plants and flowers growing up it. There is strong sunshine and the sky is blue. BBC
Mandy Bryce said the group wanted to keep supporting hospital staff and patients

Volunteers have created a garden at the community hospital to show support to staff and patients, two years after a hard-fought campaign to reopen its inpatient beds.

In April 2024, the Save Our Beds group were celebrating their successful drive to reopen the facilities at Bishop's Castle Community Hospital in rural Shropshire.

They have now changed to a Support Our Beds movement, with the newly planted garden part of those efforts.

"We thought it would be lovely to continue to support the staff and patients," said volunteer Mandy Bryce.

The scheme was funded by the town's community hospital equipment fund, and designed by local gardener Pippa Willcox.

The garden is a space where people "can forget about what's going on in the hospital, and just enjoy the plants, the birds, and the breeze", Bryce said.

The campaign group was keen to continue supporting the hospital, she continued, adding that "the staff are so busy here, and they work so hard and do a fantastic job".

"This was a way of giving back, and letting them know we're here and we support what they're doing," she added.

News imageEllen Knight/BBC Photo of Klee, who is looking into the camera and smiling. He is wearing a white polo shirt, and is stood in front of a large parasol in the hospital garden. The garden is surrounded by low stone walls, which have plants and flowers growing up them. The sky is blue and there is strong sunshine. Ellen Knight/BBC
Patients are often "stuck in a room", meaning the garden was very beneficial, said Klee

Hospital physiotherapist Adam Klee, whose treatment room looks out on to the garden, said it "obviously benefits the patients" and is "something we've used pretty much every day".

Those who are inpatients are often "stuck in a room with the same four walls", he said, adding that the garden is "good for rehab and good for recovery."

The area also creates a sense of normality for patients, Klee said, noting that "it probably helps them feel like themselves again".

"When you're very poorly and stuck in bed, a bit of sun on your face [...] is really good," he said.

News imageEllen Knight/BBC Dickin photographed looking into the camera and smiling slightly. He is wearing a blue t-shirt and is stood in front of a stone wall which has plants and flowers growing along the top of it. There is strong sunshine and the sky is blue. Ellen Knight/BBC
Dickin said a lot of hard work had gone into the hospital garden

The project was backed by the town's mayor, Josh Dickin, who in 2023 was pushed 18 miles around the area in a hospital bed to raise awareness of the campaign.

He said the 14 inpatient beds were now full and staffing levels were strong - indicating to him a successful first two years of which he was "very proud".

"There's been a lot of hard work," he said, adding that the hospital "seems to be going from strength to strength".

News imageEllen Knight/BBC Photograph of four people sat on chairs underneath a large grey parasol on a beige stone patio. Along the edges of the patio are borders with a variety of plants and flowers in them. The sky is blue and there is strong sunshine. Ellen Knight/BBC
The garden includes plenty of seating and shaded areas, and is wheelchair accessible

"It's great to have those facilities back on our doorstep and people don't have to travel," Dickin continued, noting that "it's not just about Bishop's Castle, it's about south-west Shropshire as a whole".

The isolated communities in the rural part of the county have gained from the inpatient beds, he claimed.

News imageEllen Knight/BBC Martin photographed looking into the camera and smiling. She is wearing a light blue linen top, and is stood in front of a low stone wall with plants and flowers growing up it. The sky is blue and there is strong sunshine. Ellen Knight/BBC
Gillie Martin said community hospitals were the most important thing for towns like Bishop's Castle

The campaigners have now turned their sights towards supporting the hospital as best they can.

"I think you've only got to come our here and look at the plants and it makes you feel better," said Gillie Martin from the group.

"We're all really, really excited about the fact that it [the beds being reopened] did actually happen."

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