Celebrations as new dementia-friendly garden opens at Trust
Staff and patients at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust have celebrated the opening of a new dementia-friendly garden.
The garden is a quiet haven for patients at the Cavell Centre in Peterborough while they are being assessed and treatment for dementia.
During a six-week makeover, raised flower beds were installed along with new footpaths and a wooden gazebo.
Alison Wilkinson, Dementia Lead Nurse Consultant, said: “We are delighted with the new garden – our patients, visitors and staff love it already.
“The old garden was looking a bit tired so the time was right to give it a whole new look.
“It was obviously very important to make sure it is an environment which supports our patients and really engages them.
“Everything is interactive. For instance, the flowers were chosen for their distinctive colours and smells, and they’ve been placed in raised beds so they can be touched and admired more easily.
“The paths throughout the garden are smooth so patients can easily move around regardless of their ability, and there’s a lovely new gazebo where they can sit and enjoy being outside.
“It’s also a lovely space for relatives and carers when they visit, and also for our staff to take a break for a few minutes when they can.
“I’d like to thank everyone who was involved in the makeover, especially colleagues from our Estates Team who worked so closely with the builders from RTC Plant Services.”
To mark the opening of the garden, a special celebration involving patients and staff took place and a raffle and cake raised more than £250 for CPFT’s charity, Head to Toe.
CPFT, which employs more than 4,700 staff, provides community physical health services for older people and adults with long term conditions, mental health services, children community services in Peterborough and learning disability services. The Trust is also renowned for its research and development work and in June 2025, CPFT was awarded Teaching Partner status by the University of Cambridge.
ENDS
For more information contact:
Andy Burrows
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Deputy Head of Communications
E communications@cpft.nhs.uk