Hospitals twig on to the benefits of trees (From thisisoxfordshire)

Hospitals twig on to the benefits of trees

2:00pm Friday 3rd February 2012 in News

Sarah Dandy, project leader for the NHS Forest, with Mark Lay of OxTreeGen. Picture: OX50142 Damian Halliwell

THOUSANDS of trees will planted in the grounds of Oxford’s hospitals in a scheme to boost health and the environment.

Each tree will be donated by a member of the public to mark the life of a family member, to celebrate an event such as a birth or to thank medical staff for care.

The project is part of the NHS Forest scheme being led nationally by the Summertown-based Centre for Sustainable Healthcare and delivered by Witney-based OxTreeGen.

Sarah Dandy, project leader for the NHS Forest, pictured with Mark Lay of OxTreeGen, said: “Studies have shown that trees can help keep people healthy, speed up recovery times and help improve air quality for asthma sufferers for example. Seeing trees from a hospital bed can also make a world of difference.”

It is planned to plant 4,000 trees at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital alone, with more at the Churchill and the Horton in Banbury.

Oxford University Hospitals Trust spokesman Kelly Dodgson said: “We are identifying sites at all our hospitals. It’s an amazing idea which helps people put something back.”

Sponsoring a tree costs £10. Anyone interested can visit nhsforest.org or oxtreegen.com