Green Health: Winter Round Up

Growing Wellbeing This Winter. By Ian Mackenzie

As winter fades and the promise of spring comes into view, NHS Lothian sites are buzzing with activity. While the colder months often invite quieter moments outdoors, our Green Health team, and the many staff, volunteers and partners we work alongside, have been anything but hibernating.

Over recent months, we’ve been enhancing greenspaces, nurturing biodiversity and supporting wellbeing across hospital sites. From behind‑the‑scenes planning to hands‑on conservation work, we’ve been laying the foundations for brighter, greener days ahead.

Planning for Sunnier Days

Although the weather has been cold, preparations for the months ahead have been in full swing. Across NHS Lothian, work has been underway to shape new projects, refresh landscapes and create more opportunities for people to enjoy time outdoors as the days lengthen.

This period has also offered time to reflect on the progress made so far.

A huge thank you to everyone who champions the power of nature in healthcare. Your commitment helps ensure our greenspaces continue to flourish. As the year unfolds, we look forward to sharing more seasonal updates, new activities and opportunities to get involved.

Out and About: Activities and Enhancements

Western General Hospital

Winter has been a lively season at the Western General, with staff, volunteers and partners coming together to bring nature, connection and wellbeing to the site. Our RSPB Nature and Wellbeing Officer, Beth, has been central to this work, leading sessions that encouraged staff and patients to engage with the outdoors.

Festive wellbeing activities provided a welcome pause during a busy period, giving staff time to recharge through calm and creative sessions. For teams unable to step away, bespoke mini‑activities delivered closer to work areas helped reduce barriers and made wellbeing more accessible.

We were also pleased to work alongside Teenage Cancer Trust, supporting young people undergoing cancer treatment to explore the gardens and reconnect with nature, offering moments of calm and a change of pace.

Nature discovery continued across the site through a BioBlitz, where staff photographed wildlife spotted around the grounds. With seven natural history experts involved, hundreds of species were recorded, including fungi, birds and more than 49 species of bryophytes found in a small area near the Wellbeing Wing. These records play an important role in monitoring biodiversity and understanding the impacts of climate change.

The grounds also benefited from support from University of Edinburgh student volunteers through the “Dirty Weekenders” conservation society. 25 students planted 1,700 bulbs to support early pollinators and began building a dead hedge using fallen wood, providing valuable habitat for birds such as blackbirds, robins, wrens and dunnocks.

BioQuarter: Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and RHCYP/DCN

As winter’s shortest days passed, early signs of spring began to emerge across the BioQuarter, with hazel catkins appearing and bird activity increasing. Spring bulbs are already starting to push through the soil, promising colourful displays in the months ahead.

Our Nature Ranger, Lou, has continued to help staff reconnect with the outdoors through seasonal creative sessions and nature‑based wellbeing activities. Festive wreath‑making offered staff a creative break, while tailored activities allowed teams with limited time away from wards to still engage with nature.

In collaboration with Allied Health Professionals, Lou has also been co‑developing nature boxes to support therapeutic work on wards, offering new ways to embed nature into daily care. Activities with young patients at the RIE, developed alongside the Renal Young Adult Support Worker, provided simple, calming ways to connect with the natural world.

Outdoor spaces across the site have been revitalised with support from NHS Lothian Estates and corporate volunteers. Planting beds have been refreshed, grass areas replanted, and 15,000 spring bulbs planted to enhance seasonal interest and wildlife habitats.

The staff wellbeing courtyard continues to grow as a valued space, used for quiet moments, informal chats and planned activities. Looking ahead, an exciting programme of drop‑in sessions is in development with the Work Well team – and the much‑loved windowsill growing workshops will return in 2026.

The site is also embracing the Chilli Challenge 2026, with 172 staff growers signed up across clinical, administrative and support roles. Growing kits will be distributed in early March, with workshops and updates supporting participants throughout the season.

Astley Ainslie Hospital

Winter has been an important period for strengthening habitats across the Astley Ainslie estate. Meadow management work has continued to support healthy regrowth and biodiversity, including aftermath scything and overseeding with additional wildflower species. This prepares the soil for stronger, more diverse flowering in spring and supports pollinators.

Creativity and nature have also come together through ‘Looking Through a New Lens’ – a photographic exhibition created by patients and staff and displayed in the SMART Centre. Developed through a partnership between our Green Health and Tonic Arts teams as well as the NHS Lothian SMART Centre and LEAP, the project involved a series of outdoor photography workshops focused on creativity, wellbeing and connection to the hospital’s green spaces.

Participants described the experience as rewarding, empowering and calming, highlighting the value of creative engagement with outdoor spaces within healthcare settings.

Royal Edinburgh Hospital

Across the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, winter wellbeing activity has blended creativity, conservation and care. Festive sessions offered staff a welcome break, with popular pomander‑making workshops led by Cyrenians bringing simple sensory moments to both staff and patients.

A new Staff Wellbeing Garden has also been created thanks to TCV volunteers and the REH Staff Wellbeing Lead. Designed as a peaceful retreat, it features seating, edible planting and space for gentle gardening, and has already been warmly received by staff as a place to rest and reset.

Volunteers have continued to play a vital role, planting bulbs and maintaining gardens across the site. These efforts support biodiversity while strengthening the hospital’s ongoing Green Flag Award achievements.

East Lothian Community Hospital

A significant milestone has been reached at East Lothian Community Hospital, where work is now underway to redevelop outdoor spaces for adult mental health and palliative care services.

The new gardens are being designed as tranquil, accessible spaces for quiet reflection, time with loved ones and sensory engagement through planting that supports wellbeing and wildlife. Construction began in mid‑January and is progressing well, with planting to follow and an anticipated opening around Easter.

With sincere thanks to the Blythe Trust, whose funding has made this project possible.