Gardens and Health Week: Hospices and The Great Outdoors

When you think of hospice care, you might imagine hospital beds, in-patient units, and cosy cafes.

That’s certainly a part of hospice care in the round, but there’s so much more to what hospices do – hospice care really is more than you think.

Whilst it’s true that hospice care does take place inside a physical building, a huge amount of it happens outside: in our communities – and in our hospices’ gardens.

Many hospices have beautiful gardens. They’re places of solitude, reflection and peace, for patients, families and staff. There is something about a hospice’s garden that allows people to simply be – whether that’s by themselves, for contemplation or reflection, or with others. Often for people being cared for by the hospice, they can be a welcome distraction from what’s going on in their lives.

By simply getting outdoors – or even sometimes just being able to watch the garden, and nature, from inside – there’s respite from the pressures and worries of someone’s health, and future.

That’s certainly the case for Marta Gil, a senior nurse at Thames Hospice. She says that patients at the hospice find the view of nature from their rooms particularly inspiring – and explains how she takes part in open water swimming there:

“I’m such an outdoors person – that’s why the hospice is so great for me. Here we have such beautiful spaces outside, they’re so important for my colleagues, and of course our patients and their loved ones. As a staff member, we can go outside for fresh air, and that really helps support our wellbeing. 

As a hospice nurse, Marta’s work focuses on quality of life to the end of life. But every year she also steps up to help the charity keep running for the very people under her care. She does this by taking part in the hospice’s annual open water swim in the beautiful body of water that serves as an anchor point for daily life at the hospice.

“I take part in lots of events to support Thames Hospice, and this is my absolute favourite one because I can do it very closely with the patients I am supporting. 

“What’s great is that some of our patients watch the event from the lakeside. It's just so fun. It feels like I am literally doing it with them – they are just so excited waiting for you to come out. And doing the swim with them there, watching, it makes the experience so directly linked to what we do here – I can see the people that I’m doing it for, while I’m swimming.

“I love swimming – and I love doing this event. For me it’s a perfect challenge, and pushes me to do something out of my comfort zone, and get into nature.”

Stephen, an out-patient at Thames Hospice who we interviewed in 2023, explained how the therapeutic beauty of the Great Outdoors at the hospice made the world of difference to his quality of life:

“I’m an outdoor person. Being cared for next to this level of beauty and of nature is everything to me. It’s what I was before I was diagnosed, but it allows an overlap between the two.

“There’s a healing aspect to what we do. Whether it’s planters, a flowerbed, bird box, hedgehog feeding station, or a bee hotel – stepping out to do little important jobs, we work together, patients, volunteers, health professionals, to make something tangible. It’s what a community does.”

Graham Stone, former Garden Volunteer and Ambassador at Thames Hospice, also believes in the power of The Great Outdoors for the hospice’s patients: 

“When you have patients coming in, they just walk out, and you can almost see a little bit of weight coming off. This environment is so special – there’s always something to distract. The movement: butterflies, the bees, dragonflies, the changing colours of the water, the whole context of the garden. It just gives them that bit of reassurance that they’re ok. 

“Everybody fights for this place – and that’s what I love.”

Joe has been volunteering at North London Hospice for nearly 20 years. He first became involved after the hospice cared for Joe’s wife, who died in February 2006. 

“We fell in love with the place and how warm everyone was,” he recalled. Joe started volunteering as a way of giving back to the charity and as a way of thanking them for the love and support they received where they felt safe and cared for.

As part of his volunteering responsibilities, Joe regularly takes patients out and about to the local park, as well as sitting with them in our beautiful surrounding gardens. 

“We have lovely gardens and a lot of patients enjoy spending time there or in the park. It’s good to get fresh air, and for many, even if they can’t walk, just to get out and enjoy nature can give people a sense of normality,” he added. 

Joe sees first-hand how beneficial these trips are for patients, who sometimes feel isolated. He explains: 

“What I notice when I take patients outside is how it lifts their mood, you can see them notice things at much deeper level and appreciate the beauty of nature. I feel privileged to take the patients outside and in turn makes me not take life for granted but to appreciate it even more.” 

One patient recently was able to meet some local dogs which proved not only to be a highlight of their day but also to be very therapeutic. North London Hospice say that they are proud to have Joe as part of their hospice family.

Hospices often find themselves in the company of children, who are visiting a loved one being cared for by the hospice. So their gardens are often designed with them in mind – just like Dorothy House, in Wiltshire.

Children visiting the hospice find a garden that offers a calm, comforting space to unwind during and after what can be emotional visits. It is a beautiful place where they can spend time with their families, take part in seasonal activities along a special Interactive Nature Trail, and enjoy moments of normality with loved ones. The hospice say that they’ve recently installed a playground which allows children to do what matters most – simply enjoy being children.

Footballs and sports equipment are also provided for families to use together during their visit, encouraging play and connection. And the hospice’s Family Support Services regularly spend time in the garden with children and young people as part of their sessions at the hospice. The hospice comments that a particular delight for children comes in the form of the local wildlife: the ducks living around the Beacon.

On any given day in the UK, thousands of volunteers give their time to help hospices continue deliver world-class care. But some people give in other ways, like David, a regular visitor to Wakefield Hospice. 

David is well-known at the hospice for bringing a fabulous range of home grown plants to be sold on reception. In fact, in 2025, David’s plants raised £500 from sales at the hospice (plus £250 from sales on his driveway), incredibly gifting over 4,500 pots over the course of 16 months.

David explains his motivation behind his generosity:

“I’m a full-time carer now and this is my little escape. My garden is literally littered with plants and pots but I love to see the good that can come from it – I grow everything from bulbs and seeds and am just really pleased that they not only find a new home, but that they can help to raise money for such a great cause too.”