Chairman Pearse Butler and Bobby Ball cut the ribbon
The Phase 2 Patient Garden at Clifton Hospital, Pershore Road, St Annes, has been officially opened by comedy legend Bobby Ball.
Together with chairman of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Pearse Butler, the ribbon was cut, officially declaring the garden ready for patients, staff and visitors to enjoy.
Bobby Ball said: “I’m so proud to have been part of this. The finished garden is fantastic. It was all worth it.”
Bobby was also invited to plant a special ‘You Are My Sunshine’ rose, donated BFW Management Ltd (Atlas) , to commemorate the occasion and reflect the name of his show Let the Sunshine In, that raised money for the garden project.
Chief Executive of Atlas Doug Garrett, Bobby Ball and Chairman Pearse Butler plant the special roseFollowing a visit to Clifton in 2016, Bobby Ball and wife Yvonne decided to raise money for the garden by putting on the variety show at the Lowther Pavilion in February 2017. This included acts from famous faces including Sally Lindsay, Ted Robbins and Johnnie Casson.
Together with Bob and Yvonne’s friends, the event raised £30,000 for the cause.
Yvonne Ball said: “This is the first time I have seen the completed garden. I filled up when I saw it. It is absolutely fantastic.”
Funds for the garden were also raised by staff and supported by local businesses.
Guests at the opening were treated to homemade sunshine themed cupcakes and shortbread made by Atlas catering staff. Guests also enjoyed rock sweets donated by local business, Say It with a Sweetie.
Trust and Atlas officials with landscapers Matthew and Mark Bott and Bobby and Yvonne Ball
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive, Wendy Swift said: “Thank you to everyone who has been involved in the fundraising of this beautiful garden at Clifton Hospital, a place of which we are very proud. It will benefit all our patients, staff and relatives for years to come.”
Atlas’ Chairman, Doug Garrett, said: “We are proud to be supporting Clifton Hospital, through the donation of two ‘sunshine roses’, as part of their garden opening celebration. It’s great to see phase two of the garden project in all of its glory and I am sure that Clifton’s patients, staff and visitors alike will enjoy the garden for many years to come.”
Some of the Clifton staff with Bobby Ball
Head of Service at Clifton, David Kay, said: “This garden is a fantastic result of a team effort involving staff, volunteers and the local community. The finished result is amazing.”
The garden has taken three months to complete and it was designed and built by local landscapers, Mark and Matthew Bott of M. Bott Ltd.
The finished Phase 2 Garden