Hospice garden work to start

From the The Bolton News, first published Friday 3rd Aug 2007.

WORK will start on the Bolton Hospice Garden of Tranquillity in just a few weeks.

Barton Grange Garden Centre in Deane Road, Bolton, has been chosen to carry out the work, which will see the run down open space at the hospice transformed into an oasis for patients and their loved ones.

Hospice bosses hope work will start before the end of this month and be completed by the end of November.

More than £100,000 was raisied by the people in Bolton to renovate the gardens at the hospice in Queens Park Street, after The Bolton News launched its Garden of Tranquillity appeal in August last year.

Sheila Tonge, chairman of the garden committee at Bolton Hospice, said: "Following the marvellous appeal and the astounding reader contributions, the hospice are pressing ahead with the project.

"The hospice is extremely grateful that they are able to build this garden, which will provide so many uses, a lovely peaceful vista to look out on, a place for gentle walks and talks and somewhere for both day patients and inpatients to enjoy a bit of practical gardening, which can be such a solace when life is difficult."

Currently, the grounds of Bolton Hospice, which have not been renovated since the facility opened 15 years ago, are covered in grass, meaning people in wheelchairs and those using walking frames cannot access them.

Borders are sparsely planted and patio areas are filled with cracked, broken and uneven paving stones.

When the new garden is finished there will be pathways, providing disabled access, and private seating areas where patients can spend quality time with their loved ones.

There will also be a sensory garden, bursting with scent and colour and a water feature.

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