Lady golfers tee up £6,800 to help create a new sensory garden at Crawley hospital

Heads On, the official charity of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, was chosen as the Lady Captain’s Charity of the Year 2018.

It received a grand total of £6,863.50 which was used to renovate an existing garden into a new sensory garden. The garden, which has been planned and designed by service users at the hospital, will create a welcoming and peaceful space to be enjoyed by patients, carers and visitors for years to come.

Not only have patients been involved in planning and planting the garden, patient gardening groups will also maintain it.

Fundraising events including coffee mornings, raffles, a sponsored walk, quiz nights and charity fun days took place throughout the year, and continued unabated despite the devastating fire at Cottesmore last June.

Lady captain for 2018, Heather Skinner, said: ‘The generosity of our Ladies’ Section has totally astounded me. We are a small group and through many avenues of fundraising we have raised over £6,800.

“We are pleased that this has gone towards the new sensory garden as it will improve the facilities for service users, staff and visitors. We all appreciate this is a great cause as one in four people are affected by some form of mental health illness. Cottesmore Ladies are also really happy to know that the garden will be named the ‘Phoenix Garden’ after one of the courses at the club. We very much look forward to visiting the garden in the future and seeing it blossom.”

Isobel Clark, clinical specialist occupational Therapist at Langley Green Hospital, said: “As well as providing an immediate positive therapeutic purpose in creating the project, service users will manage the area on an ongoing basis so it continues on into the future. We are absolutely thrilled to be able to move forward with our project and this would not be possible without the support and generosity of Heather and all at Cottesmore. What a difference this is going to make.”