The Great Outdoors: nature, gardens and cold water swimming at Thames Hospice

“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. 

“Each bedroom on our Inpatient Unit has a little covered terrace, so even in winter, we can get the patient’s bed outside, and their family can sit with them on the benches. Being outside means that they can be connected to nature: have a bit of sunshine, see the lake, and hear the birds sing. 

"Many of our patients love seeing all the different kinds of birds on our bird feeders – or glimpsing a heron on the lake, or even a deer. It's just so pretty and therapeutic for them.”

The outdoor space is also important for patients’ loved ones, as Marta explains, “for the families and friends, if there are a few people visiting and everyone is in the same room, it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming for our patients. Being able to be outdoors means they get a sense of freedom. It's almost like meeting up with their friends and family in a park!

“Many of our patients are bedbound, but we have wide paths around the garden that can accommodate patients in wheelchairs. We can push them outside or the family can take them out and they can go for a nice walk in front of the lake. 

“Our Wellbeing Centre is where we offer our outpatients programme. Along with the counselling rooms and the rehabilitation gym, it also overlooks the lake and the garden, so when they're doing their arts and crafts and their other therapy sessions, they can be inspired by the lake too.”

Marta’s love of Bray Lake – and how it has such a powerful, multi-faceted effect on the hospice’s staff and patient wellbeing – is evident in her impassioned description. 

And according to the nurse, who originally hails from sunny Spain, even being able to watch the outdoor activities taking place on the lake, such as stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking, give her patients some outstanding benefits:

“The patients, sometimes they say, oh, ‘I can see they started doing the paddle! There's a few people using paddles, doing sports activities…’ so it's a great distraction for them – something for them to talk about and to focus on.

“That’s something that can be incredibly important for someone who might be going through one of the toughest moments in their life.”

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.

“It’s the hospice’s fourth year running this event, and it’s fantastic… it really brings the community together.

“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.

“The experience of being in the water? I love it. It makes me feel so good. It's pure happiness. It's a feeling, isn't it? There's no words to describe it. For the rest of the day I feel the health benefits to getting out in the open water and the grounding effect of the contact with the elements in that way.

“So the open water swimming really does have such an impact on me, and what I do here at the hospice. Life here wouldn’t be the same without it.”

Emma Andrews is Senior Events Fundraiser at Thames Hospice. She says that the hospice is really proud to have developed an open water swimming event: 

“It feels amazing to give people the chance to enjoy all the benefits that come with wild swimming, from boosting wellbeing to simply having fun. Seeing seasoned swimmers and those new to open water swimming all taking part has been genuinely inspiring.

“The atmosphere at the last three Thames Hospice open water swim events has been fantastic and clear to see that participants really value both the event experience and the chance to raise vital funds so we can continue to support local families. Bringing the community together in a way that's both enjoyable and meaningful has always been our aim.”

Marta’s dedication to open water swimming to support the work of the hospice, along with the many benefits that simply make life easier at an incredibly tough time, are both testaments to one thing: the unquestionable power of The Great Outdoors.