TCV Scotland is starting work on a new and exciting project at Gartnavel Hospital in Glasgow… The Gartnavel Green Activity Project will be working with patients, staff, visitors and the local community to promote the incredible health benefits of the great outdoors.
Gartnavel Hospital campus is made up of several major hospitals and smaller specialist units. The oldest buildings on the site (East and West Houses) were built in 1842 as a pioneering psychiatric hospital set in 66 acres of ground. There was also a working farm at Gartnavel up until the 1960s which provided food for the hospital kitchens and a space for meaningful work and therapeutic activity for patients.
Through the Gartnavel Green Activity Project, TCV will be promoting and developing the existing green spaces and offering an exciting range of new outdoor activities which will help maintain the Gartnavel campus as a welcoming and attractive environment for both people and wildlife.
The Walled Garden
We’ve got loads of great things planned, including:
– delivering a regular Green Gym at Gartnavel, offering locals and people from further afield the chance to get involved in practical volunteering
– providing opportunities for staff, patients and visitors to enjoy the hospital grounds, such as through a programme of themed walks
– coordinating The Growing Spaces – a flagship project of Glasgow Royal Hospital’s ‘Art in the Gart’ (a programme which supports the delivery of meaningful, therapeutic and creative activity for mental health recovery and wellbeing)
– launch of the “Keep Out” campaign, which will encourage staff to take a step outside at lunch time and after work
Plants for the Growing Spaces
This project is funded by the Green Exercise Partnership, which is made up of the Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and NHS Health Scotland. The Green Exercise Partnership has been carrying out environmental improvements on site for over two years, and we are now on board to deliver exciting events to engage people in the new green infrastructure.
Finally, a date for your diary…come along to ‘Over the Wall’, the annual neighbourhood festival with something for all the family, which is taking place at Gartnavel on Saturday 27th August from 1-5pm!
If you’d like to find out more about the project or get involved by volunteering on practical tasks or helping organise and run events, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact Melanie Hall on m.hall@tcv.org.uk or 07977406900