A hospital gardener has been recognised for his fantastic work in maintaining grounds at the Countess of Chester Health Park.
John Dix, from Chester, was among the shortlisted candidates at Health Education England’s Learning Matters Awards at Manchester Museum.
John was named runner-up in the ‘Volunteer of the Year Health and Social Care’ category due to his work as a volunteer gardener at Bowmere Hospital, which is run by Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP).
After years of accessing the Trust’s learning disabilities services, John decided he wanted to give something back whilst fulfilling his passion for gardening.
He said: “I love helping the team at CWP. It’s great to be able to give something back and I’m really happy that my help has been recognised with this fantastic award.”
CWP Voluntary Services lead Lorraine Van Sluis said: “John is real asset to the Estates Team and a fantastic ambassador for our Trust. He shows care, compassion and commitment every time he gives up his time freely to CWP.
“At the same time, we believe in supporting people from our communities to gain skills and experience to achieve their goals and aspirations. John has learnt a lot of new skills in gardening.
“At CWP we know that volunteers make a valuable contribution to the work of the Trust through their time, energy and skills. This award reinforces our belief that the experience of volunteers can add value to the services we provide. Well done, John!”
CWP has more than 150 volunteers, who support the Trust in delivering mental and physical health, learning disability, inpatient and community services to more than one million people across Cheshire, Wirral, Sefton, Bolton and Trafford.
To find out more about volunteering at CWP please email: volunteering@cwp.nhs.uk.
