Archive

Four new Frienship Gardens unveiled at Headwaters Health Care Centre

August 12, 2019   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Baker

Headwaters Health Care Centre unveiled four new friendship gardens this week.

More than 100 supporters of the Friendship Gardens initiative gathered to officially open the new areas on the grounds of the local hospital on Tuesday. According to Stacey Daub, President and CEO of HHCC, the new features will help to celebrate the importance of nature in the healing process.

“The Gardens continue to be a source of inspiration and joy to staff, patients and families,” Ms. Daub said.

The Friendship Gardens, the newest of which are located outside the hospital’s emergency department, chemotherapy treatment area and outside the ambulatory care wing, are an initiative launched by the Friends of Headwaters, a volunteer group created in 1997. HHCC now has more than 20 gardens on its grounds, boasting more than 400 trees and over a dozen themed sculptures. According to HHCC, the Friendship Gardens program focuses on environmentally positive gardens, trees and grounds and on controlling certain invasive species.

Lynn Sinclair-Smith is the driving force behind the initiative. She told media that she’s simply happy to do her part to help beautify of the community’s most important pieces of infrastructure. 

“I’m always inspired by what we can do on this windy hill of ours,” Ms. Sinclair-Smith said. “We owe so much to others who have given their time, resources or materials to help us make this place a special sanctuary for healing.”

The celebration honoured those who have donated and supported the most recent additions to the Gardens. The areas include ‘The Pavilion’, donated and built by the Rotary Club of Orangeville, Devonleigh Homes and Whispering Pines Landscaping, ‘Follow Your Dreams Parkette’, a horse sculpture donated by Orangeville Home Hardware and painted by Marie Bartholomew. Funds for the plants and chairs surrounding the sculpture were donated by various community members.

The ‘Drystone Wall, Dragonfly, Butterfly, Gateway and Limestone Walkway’ wall was designed and handcrafted by Eric Landman and John Bland. The wall, including a metal dragonfly sculpture, was donated by Kathleen MacFarlane and dedicated to her late sister Ann Davidson. A local Friendship Gardens supported donated the butterfly portion of the wall, as well as providing funds for the crushed limestone wheelchair accessible pathway. 

‘Garden of Hope’ includes three Autumn Blaze Maple trees, which are being dedicated by Monday Night at the Movies, Rose Weyer-Keller, Adam Keller and the Curling Club of Orangeville in honour of Ann Davidson. 

Most of the patient rooms within the hospital overlook some aspect of the Friendship Gardens. Supporters of the initiative are working with the University of Guelph, as well as Credit Valley Conservation, to develop the “best plan” for HHCC gardens and grounds to achieve a healthy plant, shrub and tree sustainable environment.

For more information, visit www.friendshipgardens.ca.

Readers Comments (0)