Hospital gardens will honour Captain Sir Tom Moore

Two landscaped gardens are to be created at Shropshire’s two acute hospitals in honour of Captain Sir Tom Moore.

A courtyard at Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford and an area outside the ward block at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) are to be transformed and named in memory of Captain Sir Tom.

Both gardens will be areas for reflection and rest for staff at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) which runs both hospitals, as well as patients and visitors.

The Courtyard at PRH will be landscaped with seating pods, private areas, lighting and flower beds with curved willow fences. It will be named Captain Tom’s Courtyard.

The garden was designed by Emma Mayho, who works in the cardio-respiratory departments across both sites. Emma entered and won a competition to re-design the area, which is also being sponsored by Reconomy, the UK’s leading provider of outsourced waste and resource management services, based in Telford.

Diane Crowe, Group Head of Sustainability for Reconomy, said: “We are delighted the Trust has decided to name the garden in memory of Captain Sir Tom Moore. Reconomy is pleased to continue to support the fundraising, volunteering and materials management for this exciting project that will create a wonderful area for respite and quiet reflection for NHS staff, patients and visitors alike.”

The Trust is also planning to landscape the mound area outside the Ward Block at RSH to create Captain Tom’s Garden.

Julia Clarke, Director of Corporate Services at SaTH, said: “Captain Sir Tom Moore walked his way into the nation’s hearts by doing laps of his garden; his thoughtfulness for others was a beacon when the country first went into lockdown and the NHS first faced COVID-19.

“It seems fitting that the creation of two gardens in Shropshire’s two acute NHS hospitals, which he supported so wonderfully, should be named after him.

“We are looking forward to starting work on transforming these areas this Spring; and I would like to thank Reconomy for their valued support and contribution, and of course Emma whose garden design was outstanding. We can’t wait for both gardens to be brought to life in memory of a true inspiration.”