Latics hero Frank drops in to open new Royal Oldham Hospital garden showpiece

Frank Rothwell is pictured with Anthony Hassall - Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust CEO

Latics co-owner and chairman Frank Rothwell dropped into Rowan Ward at Royal Oldham Hospital to open their brand-new garden for patients staying at the facility.

The ward, run by Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, provides assessment and support for older people with mental health problems.

The new garden has been created to help maintain a level of independence for patients and provide an outdoor space for therapy and visits from family.

Latics’ boss Frank joined patients, staff and guests at the opening party to officially cut the ribbon and show his support for the local community.

Sophie Ogden, Rowan Ward’s manager, spoke of the benefits the new garden will bring.

She said: “Renovating our garden space has been a wish of ours for some time, we wanted to ensure our patients, their relatives and carers were engaged and at the centre of making it.

"We made sure we included the wishes and needs of patients and relatives when creating it.

“It’s all to improve patient wellbeing and recovery, while ensuring we have a safe space patients can access independently and have visits with their families.

“One thing they really wanted was to be able to grow and maintain their own fruit and vegetables, so we have raised planters and a greenhouse which has allowed for gardening groups to take place and has helped to improve our patients’ sense of purpose.

“We’ve had lots of positive feedback from our patients and their relatives, they’ve been enjoying garden games in the sun and getting involved in outdoor exercise.

“Our staff have said it’s had a positive impact on morale too as the therapeutic engagement element of our work has gotten much better, I’m so proud of their efforts.

“We were so pleased with the turn out for the opening event and would like to thank everyone who came to celebrate with us, especially Frank for coming down to cut the ribbon and make it official.”

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