Ambulance charity given £25,000 for staff garden

The East of England Ambulance Service Charity has been awarded about £25,000 to create a wellbeing garden for the staff.

The charity said the space, which would be built at the service's station in Peterborough, would provide a much-needed sanctuary for employees to support their mental health and wellbeing.

The project would be the 16th wellbeing garden created with the charity's support, with 15 already in use across the East of England.

Kate Lott, head of the charity, said an underused outdoor area would be transformed into a purpose-built wellbeing garden, providing staff with a "peaceful space to rest and recharge throughout their demanding shifts".

The charity is one of 15 NHS charities across the UK to receive a share of £500,000 in funding from NHS Charities Together, to invest in creating and improving green spaces for the health and wellbeing of NHS staff, patients and communities.

The scheme - which is delivered by NHS Charities Together in partnership with Starbucks and the environmental charity Hubbub - addresses research that found one in five people in the UK live in areas without easy access to green spaces.

Ellie Orton, the chief executive of NHS Charities Together, said: "Access to green spaces and the benefits that this brings to our health and wellbeing should not be something limited to a lucky few, but available to everyone across the UK no matter where they live."

Gavin Ellis, the director and co-founder at Hubbub, said the fund could "make a positive difference" to people's wellbeing and the environment.

"As well as the direct environmental impact of more green spaces, studies have shown that spending time in nature makes people more likely to make environmentally friendly lifestyle choices," he said.

Phil Peacock, the loyalty, partnerships and digital lead at Starbucks, said the team was "proud to play a part in helping more of these spaces come to life".

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