Woodlands Centre
We are really pleased to announce a new partnership for TMWF.
Working with the Woodlands Centre, the cancer ward at Hinchingbrooke hospital, the foundation will be contributing somewhere in the region of £10,000, to create a new garden area for patients and families to relax, whilst attending their appointments. During recent meetings at Hinchingbrooke, it was also agreed that TMWF will not only fund the garden, but that the young people who have raised the money, will now put further hard yards in as they will be working hard to create the garden. The pursuit for willing volunteers now begins! A blossoming new relationship between the Woodlands centre at Hinchingbrooke Hospital and local charity, the Malcolm Whales Foundation, will see a patch of outdoor space at the hospital receive a new lease of life. The Malcolm Whales Foundation, which raises money to support younger people who have received a cancer diagnosis, has generously pledged ten thousand pounds to regenerate the garden area, which is located next to the waiting room. The charity was founded in 2009 by Malcolm’s son Damien. Malcolm lost his fight with bowel cancer a year earlier, aged only 55 and the foundation has been raising money in his memory ever since. Damien said: “Receiving a diagnosis of cancer and the subsequent treatment and ongoing tests are often stressful for patients and their loved ones. By renovating the garden area, we hope to provide a tranquil and inviting space for patients and their families when they visit the Woodlands”.
The area where the garden will be situated is opposite the Woodlands Centre waiting room. We are so very grateful to the Malcolm Whales Foundation for making the rejuvenation of our garden possible. Due to the busy nature of the centre, patients can sometimes experience a wait for treatment. We hope that having access to a beautiful garden will make a difference to their experience.
Lynda Hall, Lead Cancer Nurse
To fundraise for projects such as the garden renovation, the charity holds an annual event, a three day trek which covers 40km of the Dorset coast. Participants of the walk include cancer survivors and their supporters, as well as groups of students who fundraise for the foundation throughout the year. These same students will be given the opportunity to be involved in creating the new garden, supervised by members of the Trust’s Estates and Facilities team.