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New NHS Wellbeing Garden opens at Royal Oldham Hospital
A cherished centrepiece in the grounds of Royal Oldham Hospital, the Fountain Garden has been redesigned to promote the wellbeing of staff, patients and the local community
“NHS staff can only benefit from having an outside space like this, where we can sit and relax and enjoy the surroundings,” said Alison Boswell, Personal Medical Secretary in the Emergency Department at Royal Oldham Hospital. For her and her colleagues, a new wellbeing garden at the heart of the hospital complex can make a real difference to their everyday lives.
The space officially opened on 20 October 2026. It has been built on the site of the former Fountain Garden, a much-loved centrepiece of the hospital grounds and a cherished place of remembrance for those who have passed away. Its transformation honours this legacy while creating a more beautiful, functional and accessible garden that meets the needs of today’s hospital community.
The green heart of Oldham Hospital
Ashley Jones and Jeanette Leach, NHS staff and colleagues at Royal Oldham Hospital
The Royal Oldham Hospital is located just eight miles north-east of Manchester. The Fountain Garden is nestled at its heart, in front of the Education Centre. It was built in the 1930s and extends across 1,800 square metres.
Before its regeneration, the green space was managed as an amenity lawn with a few scattered trees, central planting beds and a fountain. Today, it has become a vibrant wellbeing garden designed to meet a variety of needs. It provides patients with a space for relaxation and recovery, it’s used by staff during breaks, and visitors and relatives can benefit from a peaceful place in which to spend time with their loved ones.
“We’re so lucky to have a garden like this at Oldham. We all love it and it’s widely used,” said NHS staff and colleagues Ashley Jones and Jeanette Leach. “During the warmer months, patients leaving the Intensive Care Unit often meet their relatives and children here. For us, too, having somewhere to go outdoors makes such a difference, especially after spending hours on the wards.”
Open to the public, the Fountain Garden also serves as an inclusive and accessible hub for the wider community.
The project is a partnership between the RHS, the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and NorthCare Charity . It was brought to life by award-winning landscape designer and RHS Ambassador Adam Frost, following consultation sessions with hospital staff and in collaboration with RHS Senior Landscape Architect Magdalena Firganek-Fulcher.
“Our aim was to create a space that can be both beautiful and resilient, and that can support wildlife as much as the people who spend time in it,” said Adam Frost. “I hope it becomes a place where people can step into, take a moment and feel supported by the landscape around them.”
Flowers have been introduced to enhance the fountain’s look and functionality. Additional trees provide shaded seating areas, alongside fragrant, textured, seasonal and colourful plants chosen to attract wildlife. Low-maintenance plants and herbs fill the borders.
The planting palette comprises plants suitable for local conditions and resilient to the pressures of extreme weather events caused by climate change, such as Amsonia hubrichtii , Geranium nodosum and Eupatorium dubium . Soft, textural ornamental grasses like Sesleria autumnalis add movement and visual interest throughout the seasons.
One of the goals is to increase the ecological value of the site through -friendly planting, fruit trees and shrubs. Woody species include Sorbus torminalis , Cornus mas and amelanchiers, alongside non-natives like Cercidiphyllum japonicum , Heptacodium miconioides and Sorbus commixta ‘Dododng’ .
A space for art, training and community
Opening ceremony of the new Fountain Garden at Royal Oldham Hospital. From left to right: RHS Community Gardening Advisor Nathan Phipp-MacIntyre; RHS Director General Clare Matterson; NHS staff Humaira Rahman; Pam Byrne, Mayor of Oldham; Kevin McGee, Interim Chief Executive of Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust; Aimée Clare, Head of Fundraising at NorthCare Charity; Jessica Bradford, Fundraising Officer at Northern Care Alliance
“Hospitals can be overwhelming places, whether you’re a patient, a visitor or someone working a long shift,” said Victoria Shearing, RHS Wellbeing Garden Programme Manager. “The Fountain Garden gives people somewhere to step outside, take a moment and breathe. We designed it around three ideas: that everyone should feel they belong here, that time in nature supports emotional wellbeing and that a healthy garden is a resilient one, rich in wildlife and built to last.”
The project also includes a connected wellbeing activity programme delivered by RHS Senior Community Gardening Advisor Claire Drury, who will work with staff and volunteers from across all hospital departments, as well as patients, their friends and families and local community groups, until October 2028.
The workshops have run throughout 2026, with sessions focused on growing flowers and herbs from seed, nature-based arts for wellbeing, plant medicine, identification and habitat creation, alongside regular events run by Northern Care Alliance and NorthCare.
Rebecca Robertson from Gardena UK during a bulb planting session at the new Fountain Garden
Sarah Sulcas, Medical Workforce Rota Coordinator For Emergency and Acute Medicine, said: “These workshops are exactly what NHS staff need. They provide a much-needed opportunity to step away from the pressures of work, reconnect with nature and take a moment to focus on our own wellbeing. I know they have had a positive impact on many people, particularly our A&E staff, who work under immense pressure every day. Every session has been both enjoyable and educational, and has encouraged me to develop my passion for gardening even further.”
“The Fountain Garden is a space that means a great deal to our patients, their families and our colleagues who care for them. We’re so grateful to the RHS for their support and partnership on this project,” added Aimee Clare, Interim Head of Fundraising at NorthCare Charity.
The new Fountain Garden is intended to become a social and learning hub linking to the education centre, wellbeing champions and volunteering programme. This will help create a skilled team of gardeners, confident in taking on the long-term care of the site once the RHS programme is complete.
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 that 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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This project was made possible through the generosity of those who have donated and funded it. The RHS gratefully acknowledges the support of NorthCare Charity and Oak Foundation , as well as the generous contributions of plants and tools from J Parker’s , GARDENA and LBS Horticulture .
