Published on: 1 July 2021
A generous charitable donation has breathed new life into the courtyard at Palmer Community Hospital in Jarrow and created a peaceful and relaxing space for staff to enjoy.
A chance conversation between a member of staff at the hospital and her son, led to the makeover of the outside space, which had become unused and in dire need of attention.
Julia Redmayne, who works as a radiographer in the X-ray department at Palmer, jumped at the opportunity to put the courtyard forward when she heard that her son’s employer was looking to give back to the NHS by transforming an outside space.
Julie said: “The courtyard at Palmer Hospital is a lovely area for staff to enjoy however it was unused and needed some attention. My son Jamie, who works for Co-op’s Property department had mentioned to me that they were looking do some charity and community work - specifically small landscaping or ground works. I immediately thought of the courtyard.”
The work was completed by Co-op and their partners and included cleaning the existing paths and building new raised beds for plants. In addition, new picnic benches will be installed in the coming weeks so hospital staff can take a well deserved break in the fresh air.
Jamie Redmayne, Senior Facilities Manager at Co-op said: “The Co-op Property Team really wanted to give something back to the NHS following their amazing efforts during the pandemic. I mentioned this to my mam who works for the NHS at Palmer, when she mentioned the courtyard I knew this was a great idea with outside space needed more than ever.”
Steve Jamieson, Director of Estates, Facilities and Clinical Engineering at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust said: “We were delighted when Jamie got in touch to offer the Co-op’s services in helping us transform the courtyard. This charitable effort has created a vastly improved outdoor space that staff can enjoy throughout the summer and beyond. On behalf of the Trust I’d like to thank Co-op and everyone involved.”
