Ellesmere Port Hospital is celebrating the successful conclusion to a £16,000 appeal – with the help of The Pioneer.

Thanks to an appeal led by the Ellesmere Port Pioneer, the much-loved town hospital managed to raise enough money to create eight Lavender Lounges at Ellesmere Port Hospital.

The lounges are a place away from the beds for patients and their visitors and contain memorabilia and items to invoke warm feelings of nostalgia.

Matron Clare Edwards said: “Many of our patients have dementia in one form or another and the lounges will provide an area of relaxation and calm as well as nostalgic memories. We are very grateful to all those who have helped us to achieve this.”

Lesley Woodhead, corporate and events fundraising manager, said: “This  was a real team effort with the staff starting off the fundraising and then corporate, a trust and individuals donating.

“We are now working on the Ellesmere Port Centenary Garden and I would be pleased to hear from anyone that would like to get involved in fundraising for that.”

Ellesmere Port Hospital provides care and rehabilitation for mostly older patients, many of whom have been in hospital for some time receiving medical care.

There are eight wards caring for patients in small groups. Each ward has a small underused ‘lounge’ area that opens out on to the patio garden area.

These areas are not attractive and so it is easier for patients to stay in or near their beds and there is no incentive for family and friends to encourage loved  ones to move to the area.

The Pioneer helped the hospital in its desire to develop these into attractive areas that contribute to patient stimulation, well-being and happiness.

The lounges will also have many items in them to promote remembering and conversation with visitors.

These include period items from the 1950s and 1960s such as TVs, radios and china.

There will be music and newspapers from the day – all to create an ambience and foster a feeling of familiarity.

Staff were so keen to introduce the project that they set about fundraising themselves and have had support from the local community buying raffle tickets and businesses offering raffle prizes.

The ethos of the hospital is on adding quality to life and in supporting patients to return to their own homes, which is the wish of the majority.

Being in hospital for a long period of time can reduce the confidence of people and also their ability to perform tasks others may take for granted.

One example of this is in managing medicine. Often people with complex problems have a variety of medicines to manage to take in a day – sometimes before and sometimes after food.

This creates a routine that needs to be adhered to for maximum benefit. Once in hospital the medicines are taken away and then given to the patient.

At Ellesmere Port the patients are taught and expected to manage their own medicine thus removing this possible loss of confidence.

The focus of the hospital is on rehabilitation and achieving as high a quality of life that is possible for each individual.

This may be making a cup of tea independently, being able to walk to the shops or get up and down stairs.

A team of physiotherapists and occupational therapists set individual goals for patients and support them in achieving their goals.