Paphos Life

Geoff and wife Molly Eccleston who have planned the hospice garden

A GROUP of British expat volunteers are raising funds for a ‘garden of memories’ due to be created at Archangel Michael Hospice in the coming weeks at Mesa Chorio, Paphos.

The team consists of volunteers from the St Michael’s Hospice charity shop in Polemi, and was the idea of Geoff Eccleston, 68, who set up the shop and adjoining furniture store next door four years ago to raise funds for the facility.

Eccleston moved to Cyprus with wife Molly six years ago and wanted to volunteer for the hospice after the death of his sister from lung cancer.

The volunteer then stepped down from managing the shop to become project coordinator for the ‘Garden of Memories Appeal’.

“I wanted to create an area where people can find some peace and tranquillity, to be able to reflect and also to be surrounded by nature,” he told the Sunday Mail.

He said that the volunteers decided not to call the area a garden of remembrance, as there is no word in Greek for ‘Remembrance’ and instead it will be known as a ‘Garden of Memories.’

The hospice is the second such facility in the district, the first, the Friends Hospice opened in 2006 and is found at a dedicated six-bed wing of St George’s clinic in Paphos.

The St Michael hospice in Mesa Chorio opened in June 2015 and has nine rooms used for palliative and respite care, including two for children.

The theme of the garden will be ‘Memory-Reflection-Serenity’ and will offer peace, colour and fragrance with a water feature, shaded seating areas and areas where family and visitors can gather for refreshments and conversation. The design will also allow for privacy and quiet contemplation, he said.

The piece of scrub land which sits next to the hospice and measures around 300 m2 has already been cleared of overgrowth by volunteers, ahead of works at the site which are due to get underway at the end of September, said Eccleston.

Plans for the wheelchair-friendly garden include seats with commemorative plaques for those who wish to remember loved ones.

Designers are choosing plants with low-water consumption.

The importance of the garden is backed up by research. In a recent study in the US, researchers found that more than two-thirds of people choose a natural setting to retreat to when stressed. In another study, 95 per cent of those interviewed said their mood improved after spending time outside.

For many years, hospice gardens have offered tranquil, safe and reflective spaces for those suffering from life limiting illnesses.

The garden team plans to complete the area before Christmas so that decorated Christmas trees can also be placed there.

Ecclestone said that top-end estimates for the completed garden are around 20,000 euros. The project has already raised 6,000 euros so far.


Computer generated plan of the garden


The project also has a dedicated ‘GoGetFunding’ page.

“We will keep fundraising and accepting donations if we have any surplus, it will be given to the hospice for treatment,” he added

He stressed that donations for the garden are separate from those to the hospice and no money is

being taken from the centre.

Along with Eccleston, the volunteers include, Steve Wright, a civil engineer, who is the project manager, Elaine Ridgewell, as a fund raiser, previously involved in the UK financial field and Derek and Helen Murphy, as event organisers.

The team leader consulted with friends in the UK who previously attended horticultural college for advice on what to plant.

These plants can all be purchased in memory of a loved one and an acknowledgement will be placed next to them, he said. The list is available from the hospice.

“We really hope that this garden will help, and groups such as the Alzheimer’s group who use the hospice will also be able to meet here during good weather,” he said.

Once completed a film will be made of the garden that will be played in the rooms of the terminally ill.

“Hopefully this will help to make patients’ last few days as pleasant as possible,” he said.

Eccleston said that anyone interested in volunteering to help maintain the garden should get in touch.

“We will really need people to help us with this long term,” he said.



For further Information: tel: 97631734

www.gogetfunding.com/gardenofmemoriesappeal/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardenOfMemoriesAppeal/


source:- http://cyprus-mail.com/2017/08/06/garde ... s-hospice/

This seems a nice idea. But 20,000 euros to build a 300 square metre garden? It seems rather a lot.

josef k wrote: ↑Sun Aug 06, 2017 2:33 pm This seems a nice idea. But 20,000 euros to build a 300 square metre garden? It seems rather a lot.

There is a full breakdown of the costs, if you read the links. You can also see them here:

https://www.paphoslife.com/sponsors/garden_of_memories

But if you can show them how to source the components cheaper I am sure they will be all ears.

Thanks Dominic. It doesn't look so bad when broken down.

A wonderful initiative, which we should all applaud, and hopefully help with a donation if we can, as dear old Al has allready done.

JosephK, looking at the figures you also have to factor in prudent planning that includes 10% contingency Plus factors would not usually affect a domestic garden. Particularly the health and safety and accessibility factors which have a significant impact in the costings shown. I know from personal experience with the Hospice that anything g that is done to the building has to meet sign off requirements from a number of areas, no doubt the garden will be the same.

Ian