Respiratory disease is very common, but the treatment often increases carbon emissions, exacerbating respiratory conditions. Thanks to funding from our Climate Challenge Grants, NHS Lothian staff are reducing waste, and carbon emissions.

We are delighted to support staff as they organise outings and activities that make a difference for patients receiving care for mental health.

“When you’re in the kitchen, there’s machinery, there’s people talking, there’s so much going on. Yet, when you come here – it’s silent, you know, it’s quite quiet. You can hear the birds.”

“When I’m looking to unwind at the end of the day, I know that a quiet time is round about 5 o’clock, when everybody’s leaving their work or having to return to the wards. So that is a time I can potter about and unwind.”

“This is a special place. It’s a haven in the midst of painful realities.”

“This is where I go to take a breather, have lunch, sunbathe – it’s a very good sunbathing spot because it’s a courtyard so there’s no wind really and it gets hot, which I like. Sometimes I’ll call my mum.”

“I come to the park to rest my mind a little bit. I can feel the air is clear. I’m from Brazil, and the light and the birds in the trees, in the green, remind me of my place.”

“It’s somewhere where I can physically shut the door. They tend to be quiet spaces.”

“I come out by myself usually, maybe a bit of a break between the two sessions that I do because sometimes it’s quite nice to have five minutes to yourself and just decompress a little bit. It’s very peaceful. Being outside and seeing plans and things is good for your mental health, there’s no doubt.”

“My haven is here in my office, which is probably a strange thing to say, but in here there are a lot of the things which make me feel slightly like I’ve removed the antiseptic smell of the hospital corridor. I can just shut the door here, it’s a bit quiet for a while.”