A new wellbeing space for staff and visitors is being created at Calderdale Royal Hospital.

It is being located next to the diabetes centre at the back of the hospital in partnership with Rooting and Fruiting - an organisation which encourages environmental spaces in and around healthcare centres. The area, when finished, will have a bench and be planted with trees and edible plants.

Head of Occupational Health and Wellbeing, Christine Bouckley said: "It is the start of creating a wellbeing space for staff to enjoy some peace and fresh air. It will hopefully become a little oasis of nature in a corner of the grounds. It will make a lovely meeting place, or lunch spot, or somewhere just to find a bit of headspace.

“Staff  will be able to join in to help plant up the garden and learn from the experts and learn how to look after their own gardens too. Later in the year, there will be some opportunity to harvest and cook some of the produce.”

Fruit basket wordsearch prize scooped by Midwifery Assistant Julie Halstead

Julie was one of almost 150 colleagues who entered the recent wordsearch competition. She's pictured below with Loren Archer and Jo Littlewood.

The fruit basket was kindly donated by ISS at Calderdale.

Christine Bouckley told CHFT Weekly: “The competition was just a fun way of highlighting some of the key aspects to wellbeing here at CHFT. We’re really putting a strong focus on it this year. After all, our colleagues are our most important asset, so it’s important we’re able to support them to stay as well as they can.”

To find out more about Rooting and Fruiting and how to get involved click here