Kilbryde Hospice and Kirriemuir Nursery have recently participated in an innovative joint project. Visits from Kirriemuir Nursery children to Kilbryde Hospice Day Services has been ongoing since April 2018. Each week, 6-8 children accompanied by 2 nursery staff, visit the hospice to help water and maintain the outside garden space once a week. This interaction between the Kilbryde Day Services patients and the nursery children was wonderful to see and hear. For the children, it encouraged social interaction, increased their plant knowledge and the seeds of mutual respect were sown for the future.

Parents and nursery staff reported the children enjoyed the experience and looked forward to attending each week. One child quoted ‘I like going to help everyone at the hospice. I watched our plants grow’ whereas one of the patients told us ‘The kids made me forget my illness worries and brightened my day’. The staff at the nursery felt this project created a positive bond between the adults and children and formed a sense of responsibility. Kilbryde Hospice staff and volunteers are delighted with the success of these activities. This joint project has blossomed to twice-weekly visits from the children with some indoor activities during the winter months while planning the garden for next year.

As a result of this work, Kilbryde Hospice Registered Nurse, Karen Kilpatrick, and Melissa Woodhouse, Team Leader, Kirriemuir Nursery reported on the project as a Poster Presentation at the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care Annual Conference in Edinburgh recently. The poster won second prize at the conference. Congratulations to the Kilbryde Hospice and Kirriemuir Nursery team.