Bulb planting

Last year the Royal Horticultural Society joined forces with BBC’s The One Show to bring the ‘Garden of Hope’ to the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show (21st to 26th September 2021). The garden has now been donated to the Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) Rosewood (part of Kent and Medway NHS Social Care Partnership Trust). The beautiful blooms will help create a sanctuary and place of hope for the mothers and babies there. There are more details about the project in this article.

To tie in with this lovely idea, APP volunteer Gemma Vinter has been sourcing donations of bulbs to give to the UK’s 22 MBUs to help brighten up their grounds.

Gemma teamed up with APP’s Peer Support Facilitators Natalie Thompson and Joanne Derry in January to plant bulbs donated by J.Parker’s Dutch Bulbs in the ward gardens at Derby MBU.

Gemma says she hopes that spending time outside with lots of lovely plants and flowers will encourage a little bit of “me time” to help patients’ recovery, alongside the invaluable help and treatment that MBUs provide.

APP would like to thank Gemma, Natalie and Joanne for their hard work and support.