To celebrate this achievement, the Green Flag is now proudly flying at both Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Bassetlaw Hospital, marking the three gardens as notable green spaces for the local community.
The Green Flag Award is a non-profit international accreditation programme that recognises and rewards expertly tended parks and green spaces across the world. Both the Rainbow and Butterfly Gardens at Doncaster Royal Infirmary and the Rainbow Garden at Bassetlaw Hospital have been acknowledged as beautiful and accessible green spaces, offering valuable respite and comfort to those that visit them.
Established as a memorial space during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rainbow Gardens have since flourished into lush, tranquil gardens of vibrant colours, providing a serene environment for patients, colleagues, and visitors alike.
The Rainbow Garden project began in June 2020, as colleagues at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH), with support from Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals’ Charity, started to fundraise with an ambition to create two beautiful spaces to honour the lives of colleagues and patients who were lost during the pandemic.
The creation of the Rainbow Gardens was made possible by generous public donations, amounting to a total of £50,000, which far surpassed the original target of £35,000 in just eight weeks.
John and Carolyn Fox, former Trust colleagues in the Finance Team, helped to design and create the remembrance space which formally opened in May 2022. A standout feature of the garden is a bespoke, arched memorial sculpture designed by local artist Kenny Roach. Specialising in intricate metal sculpting, Kenny’s art beautifully intertwines symbolic features of nature representing peace, love, friendship, and healing.
Similarly, the Rainbow Garden at Doncaster Royal Infirmary previously featured a sculptural centrepiece with hand casts of medics working across the Trust and hosts an incredible stone memorial bench for visits to visit and reflect.
Since their opening, colleagues and patients within the hospital sites have been able to enjoy the areas, with them proving particularly popular during the summer months as idyllic spaces for a break or a bite to eat.
Additionally, the Butterfly Garden, situated at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, provides a peaceful place for anyone wishing to remember loved ones they have lost. The garden was formally opened in 2018 during Baby Loss Awareness Week, offering a place dedicated of comfort to those who have experienced the loss of an infant. The tranquil space is also available to anyone who is need of a quiet place to think and reflect away from the centre of the busy hospital environment.
Costing £15,000 in total, much of this was raised by local well-wishers supporting the project, with additional funding provided by DBTH.
Suzy Brain England, Chair of the Board at DBTH, expressed her pride in this accomplishment: “We are incredibly proud to raise this flag to mark the hard work and dedication of our grounds and gardens team. The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, celebrates green spaces across the country and around the world.”
“This international quality mark for our hospital gardens is testament to the efforts of our Estates Team in caring for these spaces so that patients, staff, and visitors alike can enjoy their beauty and tranquillity.”
She goes on to say: “Our gardens, developed as important Covid-19 and baby loss memorials, provide a calm and peaceful sanctuary at the heart of our busy hospitals. We hope that visitors, patients and staff can continue to enjoy all these spaces have to offer for years to come.”
