BY Lucy Bannister | Tuesday 21 December 2021
The Integrated Care Centre now has a memorial garden dedicated to the Bee Lady.
Citycare was recently joined by Environmental & Management Solutions Yorkshire (EMS) to create a memorial garden in memory of Hull’s iconic Bee Lady at the Jean Bishop Integrated Care Centre (ICC).
The sensory garden, which forms part of wider improvements to the ICCs green space, will create a more welcoming, therapeutic environment for the centre’s elderly and frail patients.
Clare Cornelius, Citycare Estates Assistant said:
“We set out to create a sensory garden to help keep patients minds active, and when we heard the sad news of Jean’s passing, we were keen to make it a tribute to her, at the building which bears her name.
“The garden is designed to support patients, many of whom have conditions such as dementia, through sensory experiences which have proven to slow memory loss, aid hand-eye coordination and help maintain attention.
“It is my hope that the garden will be added to over time, and we can continue to work with charities, schools, and dementia groups to not only leave a lasting tribute to Jean but provide meaningful benefits to the staff and patients at the ICC.
“I’d like to say thank you to everyone who has contributed so far, specifically to Timpson’s who I worked closely with on the design of the plaque to ensure we captured Jean’s spirit, John Pickles, and volunteers at EMS for carrying out all the groundwork, and the Goodwin Trust for their artistic contribution.
“We really hope we have done Jean and her family proud, and we look forward to inviting them back to the ICC in the spring when the garden is in full bloom.”
The charity EMS not only carried out all the groundwork, but also created the sensory board from scratch with twigs, grass, and other soft and hard textures for tactile stimulation, created a paved pathway leading to the memorial plaque, and sourced many of the bulbs, plants and birdboxes too.
Eleanor Lee from the Goodwin Development Trust contributed an amazing drawing of Jean which will be placed inside the ICC.
The full team came together to complete the garden, filling the raised flower beds with lavender and mint, planting seeds and bulbs including crocus, giant daisies, daffodils, and tulips. Lavender and mint were selected for their strong scents, hopefully some of which the community café will be able to use within their recipes.
The garden also includes:
- Bird, bee, and bug houses,
- Window bird feeders and stakes,
- Painted pebbles created by Citycare and the team,
- Benches sanded and painted by Rise Academy,
- Two more small name plaques to be added to the sensory board.
Plans started back in June 2021 when the Community Health Partnerships (CHP) and Citycare were looking to make some improvements to green spaces across their estate, with the Jean Bishop ICC being identified as an ideal and much deserving site. CHP fully embrace the changes that have been made and look forward to seeing the garden in full bloom.
