University Hospital Lewisham Wellbeing Garden

The garden at University Hospital Lewisham was the first wellbeing space to be designed and built with the RHS, for staff, patients and the community

RHS Director General Clare Matterson and Abbie Frost (daughter of Adam Frost) visiting the garden

Visitors exploring the UHL Wellbeing Garden at its opening

University Hospital Lewisham’s garden at a glance:

  • Type of garden: hospital garden
  • Location: University Hospital Lewisham, London
  • Budget: £494,275
  • Dimension: 1,783 square metres
  • Implementation phase: 2022

In 2022, the RHS partnered with the NHS trust at University Hospital Lewisham to co-create its first wellbeing garden for hospital staff affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of the project was to create a vital hub for NHS staff, patients and the wider community to come together and connect through nature.

Key elements of the garden include:

  • Safety features such as lighting so the garden feels safe even for those working night shifts
  • Large shelter with a green roof
  • Inclusive communal spaces for social events and arts activities
  • Spaces with seating for quiet reflection or private conversations
  • Naturalistic planting with seasonal interest

  • Mindful and active gardening spaces for yoga and other activities
  • Community vegetable beds with raised ends and sufficient space on all sides to ensure accessibility
  • Nature-rich wellbeing walk along the nearby river
  • Herb patches where staff can pick herbs for their lunches or take home to their families

How the UHL Wellbeing Garden began

During the pandemic, Maria Leong, an anaesthetist registrar at UHL, contacted the RHS requesting support to develop a garden which would enable NHS staff to take a break from their intense workloads – a space to breathe and to reflect and remember colleagues they had lost to Covid-19.

“For patients and their relatives, it was a chance to escape the clinical environment and talk with their loved ones,” Maria explained. “We have worked on involving lots of different patient groups, such as paediatric patients, and those with chronic pain and dementia. The path can also accommodate hospital beds, enabling staff to bring stable but critically ill patients outside to feel fresh air, sunshine and be in a green space.”

Leading garden designer Adam Frost designed the scheme.

“After listening to what people had been going through and how green spaces can help, I jumped at the chance to work with NHS staff.”

Adam Frost

Successes and challenges

NHS staff socialising in the wellbeing garden

Garden decorations made by staff and volunteers

Establishing a volunteer gardening club during the build-up was a key factor in sustaining the UHL Wellbeing Garden beyond the initial three-year funding period provided by the RHS. By engaging volunteers from outside hospital staff, such as former patients, retired staff and local residents, the project fostered meaningful partnerships with local community groups and created a replicable model for other healthcare settings. The garden became a catalyst for wider community engagement, inspiring initiatives by groups such as Kaleidoscope and staff at Queen Elizabeth Hospital to develop their own green spaces.

Collaboration with UHL enriched the RHS’s understanding of how to design gardens that are both accessible and relevant to healthcare environments, supported by early and ongoing staff consultation. Early legacy planning also proved vital. “By involving every department from the very beginning of the design process, we developed a sense of ownership that ensured continued use and care of the space,” said RHS Wellbeing Garden Programme Manager, Victoria Shearing. Examples of good practice included training wellbeing champions to deliver replicable activities, embedding environmental sustainability through thoughtful plant and water choices and integrating Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) principles.

“The biggest challenge concerned fundraising,” explained Victoria. At UHL, the absence of a designated project sponsor meant that the RHS took a lead role in driving fundraising efforts. Since UHL’s financial contribution was limited, the RHS stepped in to help bridge funding gaps and manage unexpected costs, such as addressing unsuitable soil conditions. The Kusuma Trust primarily funded the community programme and also covered the remaining costs of building the wellbeing garden, while additional support came from donations, including from the Marks Family CharitableTrust. “This experience underscores the value of early sponsorship,” said Victoria. “Fundraising for the wellbeing garden was approached collaboratively, with each partner contributing in different ways.”

“This previously unloved space is now a welcoming green oasis for Trust staff wishing to have a break from their busy shifts.”

Margarita Vidiella, Head of Charity at Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust

Impact of the wellbeing garden so far

Proud gardening club volunteers

Close-up of herbs planted in beds at UHL Wellbeing Garden

Opening of the UHL Garden

Hear from NHS staff and gardening volunteers as they celebrate the opening of our first wellbeing garden on the grounds of University Hospital Lewisham.

02:57

The RHS Community Outreach team have forged close partnerships with many local organisations to develop an inclusive wellbeing programme and promote the garden as a safe, accessible and tranquil local asset for everyone to use, valued by staff, patients and community groups. There is a weekly club in the hospital garden where staff and patients are invited to switch off, learn new skills and meet new people in a safe space, where activities include everything from yoga, meditation and wellbeing walks to dried flowers, houseplant care and mosaic making. There are also sessions for adults with additional needs, patient and carer support groups such as a dementia group and a perinatal group.

“Lewisham needed this! Really needed this!”

Participant of Lewisham Mencap

The garden is used by Mencap, a volunteer-run charity run by and for people with a learning disability, their families and carers, to support around 50 adults with additional needs, helping to build their confidence with gardening in their local green spaces and at their social club garden. Sessions have included tasting herbs, decorating pots, sowing their favourite herb seeds and starting to tidy up their own garden.

“I absolutely loved the workshop, at one point I even felt close to tears as I could smell the earth in the flower bed next to me and looking down the winding path ahead filled me with joy.”

Workshop participant
Larger works are now integrated into the hospital’s maintenance schedule and maintained by the facilities team. Successful activities such as drawing classes, concerts and wreath-making are sustained through the Trust’s Arts and Wellbeing programmes, and relationships with partners like Froglife and LEAN remain active. The Dementia Café uses the garden during summer months.

An idea is born

Hear Maria talk about where the idea came from and Adam shares his vision for the garden.

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Support NHS wellbeing gardens

Help create NHS wellbeing gardens where care goes beyond the hospital walls. Your gift can bring nature into NHS hospitals across the UK, creating safe and welcoming green spaces for patients, staff and local communities. From quiet places to pause and reflect, to shared gardening spaces that bring people together, NHS wellbeing gardens support wellbeing in all its forms. Donate today to help grow greener, healthier hospital environments where people and nature can thrive.

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