Seaford College opens Community Garden at St Richard's Hospital

Colleen Hayes, who coordinates the school wide annual Community Action Day said: “It was important for everyone who worked on the project on the day to see the impact their hard work has made on the patients, visitors, and staff at the unit.

“It was so lovely to be able to return to the hospital and meet everyone who has enjoyed the garden since the work party made the garden at the hospital back in July – what was particularly wonderful was meeting discharged patients who had been hospitalised during the time the work party was at the hospital back in July.

"Speaking to the wife of a patient who was at the unit for six months in total, it was of great benefit to her own wellbeing, as well as her husband’s, to be able to sit in a beautiful garden and to get some fresh air on a daily basis.

"This was the first of many return visits to St Richard’s and the plan is to have an ongoing programme where Seaford staff and students can continue to return to the venues that we visited during Community Action Day and continue to grow the bond that we have established throughout the community.”

John Green, Headmaster, said: “We introduced the Community Action Day about nine years ago at Seaford, all students and staff go out to work on vital projects in the community to make a positive difference to people’s lives across Sussex, Surrey, and Hampshire.

"To have such a special link with the Donald Wilson Unit really makes me happy, and the fact that we have made such a difference to so many people here is incredible.

"Thank you to my students and DT Department, David Shaw and Angie Prince-IIes, the garden is absolutely remarkable. I hope you have many happy years sitting and enjoying this lovely garden and I can’t believe the working party managed to do all of this in just one day, it’s spectacular.”