WORK is set to begin on a healing garden at the area's orthopaedic hospital after a successful fundraising campaign.

National charity Horatio’s Garden will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for a healing garden at the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries at Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) after reaching their £675,000 target.

Dr Olivia Chapple, founder and executive trustee of Horatio’s Garden, said: “We are so excited to start the building work for Horatio’s Garden at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH).

"Without the incredible support and fundraising achievements from the local community, League of Friends, and many, many more, we could not be bringing this transformational garden to the patients, families, friends and staff.

"We are looking forward to sharing with everyone the progress of the garden and welcoming new volunteers and supporters. We are now looking to undertake more fundraising efforts and raise a further £35,000 to support the garden in its first year."

Horatio’s Garden creates and maintains gardens in NHS spinal injury centres.

In September 2017 the charity started a fundraising campaign to build a garden in Oswestry and now, less than 18 months on, Horatio’s Garden is delighted to announce the fundraising target has been reached and work will begin on Thursday.

The fundraising campaign was given an huge boost thanks to a £60,000 grant from the Shropshire Freemasons and a £50,000 donation from the National Garden Scheme.

These sums helped to speed Horatio’s Garden toward the build phase of the project and added to the fundraising work carried out by local groups, such as the League of Friends at the Gobowen-based hospital.

Oswestry Horatio’s Garden will include social and private spaces, free flowing water in a rill, a garden therapy area and greenhouse, and a level surface throughout with smooth pathways for wheelchair and bed access.

There will be a garden room designed by Andrew Wells of 3W Architects with automated doors, an accessible kitchen, screen for cinema evenings and a wood burning store for cooler months, ensuring the garden will be used and admired all year round.

The start of the build will be marked by a breaking ground ceremony at the centre on Thursday (November 22).

Guests will include Gardeners’ Question time panellist Bunny Guinness, who has designed the Oswestry Horatio’s Garden, Owen Paterson MP, garden room architect Andrew Wells, National Garden Scheme chief executive officer George Plumptre and figures from the hospital community.

Work on the garden is due to be completed in late spring 2019.

Mark Brandreth, chief executive of the RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital, said the garden would make a "huge difference" to patients with spinal cord injuries.

“It will completely transform their experiences. They’re going to have somewhere they can go outside of their room where they will feel the wind on their face and hear the birds sing, something most of us take for granted," he added

“It will also provide a space for families of our patients, a place where they can spend some quality time with their loved ones, rather than in the clinical environment of a ward.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful Horatio’s Garden team, our amazing League of Friends for their fundraising efforts, as well as members of the public for their support.”

The League of Friends will be present a cheque for £260,000 towards the garden – more than double their original commitment of £125,000.

Lady Trevor, vice chairman of the League of Friends, said: “It is our pleasure to be donating this sum of money towards what will be an extremely special garden for patients and their relatives.

“The fact that RJAH is the fourth in the country to be selected for one of these beautiful gardens speaks volumes about the calibre of the hospital, staff and surgeons.

“It’s important that I highlight the wonderful support we’ve had from the community, as well as a number of organisations who have offered financial backing through grants to the garden. I must also thank Shropshire’s outgoing Lord-Lieutenant, Sir Algernon Heber-Percy, for his ongoing support.”