Nottingham Panthers team members and fans have helped fund a new garden for patients, families and staff at Nottingham City Hospital.
The ice hockey team raised over £16,000 towards the new garden area outside the Trent Cardiac Centre – the East Midlands Heart Attack Centre which treats thousands of patients from across the region each year.
It came after the Panthers General Manager, Gary Moran, was treated at the centre. Gary missed his first home game in 40 years when he underwent open heart surgery.
Gary said: “We have the best ice hockey fans in the country and every year we ask them to help us with a particular worthy cause and they’ve never let us down. Last year was no exception. We’re thrilled to have been able to help with this project at the hospital where so much brilliant work goes on helping many, many thousands of people from every walk of life.
“We had special shirts for Christmas which we sold, we had wrist bands, fans organised coffee mornings, we had a special meal out for fans, we even got some money from sales of my book Broken Heart – which is still available on Kindle or from the Panthers’ office – and we had another set of special shirts for Valentine’s Day – covered in hearts, of course!”
The Trent Cardiac Centre garden area is in a sheltered spot, surrounded by hospital buildings, but had stood unused and dilapidated for several years.
Staff members from the Cardiac Shared Governance team at Nottingham Hospitals came up with the idea of converting it into a peaceful outdoor space, where patients, families and staff could step away from the busy hospital environment for a short while and have time and space for reflection and, if necessary, difficult conversations.
Thanks to donations from Nottingham Panthers, Nottingham City Transport, former Mayor of Broxtowe Councillor Michael Brown, staff at the Trent Cardiac Centre, and other donors and fundraisers in the local community, Nottingham Hospitals Charity was able to give £50,000 towards the refurbishment project. The work was overseen by the NUH Estates and Facilities team, who worked closely with landscapers Green River Gardening and with Trent Cardiac Centre staff on the project.
The new garden was officially opened today (22 September) by Gary and his consultant, Selvaraj Shanmuganathan, along with Councillor Brown, Anthony Carver-Smith from Nottingham City Transport, Barbara Cathcart, Chief Executive of Nottingham Hospitals Charity, and Rikki Hayward, Staff Nurse at the Trent Cardiac Centre.
Rikki said: “I’m excited because for far too long this area has not been in use for anyone to use, but now for staff and visitors alike, it will be a retreat for conversation, contemplation and enjoyment all round.
“It would not be possible without the kind generosity of our sponsors, Nottingham Hospitals Charity, Nottingham City Transport, Nottingham Panthers and Broxtowe Council, or for the support of the NUH shared governance facilitators, NUH estates and facilities, all the kind donations from the public and fundraising efforts of our staff, and Green River Gardening. I want to say thank you to everyone for making this project a reality and I hope it is long enjoyed.”
For more information about Nottingham Hospitals Charity, please go to www.nottinghamhospitalscharity.org.uk
