Horatio's Garden – Northern Ireland

Reimagining recovery: Creating healing spaces for spinal injury patients

1/3

Each year, about 4,400 people in the UK sustain life-altering spinal cord injuries, and typically spend five months in specialist rehabilitation, often isolated from their families. Horatio’s Garden, a charity committed to improving the lives of those affected by spinal injuries, recently completed its seventh garden project, situated at Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast.

The garden serves as a vital sanctuary for patients, offering them a serene space to reconnect with nature, aiding in their physical and mental recovery. Gleeds provided comprehensive project and cost management services, ensuring the successful delivery of this transformative project and overcoming a variety of challenges.

Horatio's Garden at Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, marks the seventh garden created by the charity. Situated in a previously unused area of the hospital, the garden was meticulously designed to support patients from across Northern Ireland with spinal injuries, as well as those in the Amputee Rehabilitation Unit. The project transformed the space into a therapeutic garden, where patients, staff and family members can find solace and rejuvenation.

Gleeds was engaged to provide project management services from the early design stages through to handover. The role involved coordinating with multiple stakeholders, managing the budget, overseeing construction and addressing unforeseen challenges. A hands-on approach ensured that the project was delivered to the highest standards, meeting the specific needs of the charity and the hospital. Gleeds also provided pro bono work for part of this project, as well as donating towards the cost of the opening event in June 2024.

Designed by the renowned Andy Sturgeon, a nine-time RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist, the 1800m² garden features a variety of structures, including a garden room, two garden pods, a glasshouse, and two garden sheds. The planting includes 17 trees, 149 hedges, 424 shrubs, 2,483 perennials and 13,174 bulbs. The garden also incorporates a dedicated boccia court, a first for Horatio's Gardens, enhancing its accessibility and functionality.

1,800

m2

total area

2

garden pods

1

garden room

1

glasshouse

Challenges and solutions

  • Budget management: Given that the project was funded by donations, budget management was crucial. Gleeds facilitated detailed workshops to revise the project scope and identify areas where reduction could be achieved without compromising the project’s integrity.
  • Project changes: Several updates during construction, particularly concerning interior finishes and electrical items, introduced additional costs and extended timelines. These final stage adjustments required careful management to mitigate impacts on the overall project schedule. Gleeds helped to minimise the impact on both cost and time, ensuring the project’s successful completion.

The results

  • 95% of patients use the space at least once or twice a week
  • 91% of visitors said that their stress levels were reduced by visiting their loved one in the garden
  • 98% of NHS staff believe that patients benefit from having access to the garden
  • 94% of patients report improved wellbeing from using the garden
  • 90% of patients report improved mood from using the garden
  • 91% of patients report improved mental health from using the garden.

The future

Horatio's Garden envisions establishing a rehabilitation garden in all 11 spinal injury centres across the UK, with Belfast marking the seventh completed project. The knowledge and experience gained from this project will guide the charity as it progresses towards its goal, with the Gleeds team which is working on the project in Sheffield already incorporating lessons learned from Belfast into delivering the next garden.

Photograph © Carrie Davenport. Used with permission.

Working together on this project has been a very rewarding experience, knowing that our efforts will make a meaningful difference for people facing life-changing spinal injuries and long hospital stays. The collaboration among the team was exceptional, and we're proud to have delivered such an impactful garden. It has been fantastic to create essential spaces for reflection and recovery and to contribute to a cause that brings such positive change.

Tim Hanna
Director

Gleeds have professionally and conscientiously project managed the new Northern Ireland garden where it will now be a sanctuary for people facing life-changing injuries and long stays in hospital for many years to come.

Julia Dustan
Finance Director, Horatio’s Garden
1/2