Willen Hospice

About Willen Hospice

Willen Hospice is spread across two sites within the Conservation Area of Willen Village in Milton Keynes: the Hospice and The Well. The Hospice itself is located in the historic Manor Farm, a Grade II listed building set on the banks of Willen Lake. From here there are far-reaching views across the northern lake and island — home to a rich variety of wildlife including reed warblers, kingfishers, little egrets and otters. The Well is just a two-minute walk away, reached via a peaceful meadow or an avenue of lime trees leading to the Grade I listed St Mary Magdalene church. Yet our care extends far beyond the walls of our buildings. With a tranquil lakeside setting, the natural environment plays a vital role in the comfort and experience that our patients and their families have at Willen Hospice. Together, the gardens at the Hospice and The Well span around two acres and include lawns, wooded areas, planted beds, a working allotment, orchard and a bog garden. We are ever thankful to our wonderful volunteer gardeners and patient gardening group who help to grow, harvest and care for these spaces.

The Hospice gardens have been thoughtfully designed to provide private and peaceful spaces for patients and their families. Each room in our In-Patient Unit overlooks the lake, with wheelchair-accessible paths weaving through the grounds and leading directly to the lake. Our Peace Garden is a calm space where families and friends often return to remember loved ones. At its heart stands the Tree of Life sculpture, where personalised leaves can be dedicated in memory of patients cared for by the Hospice. Mature trees such as yews, horse chestnuts and oaks dot the landscape. Look up and you might spot owl, bat, and swift boxes nestled among the branches, while bug hotels and hedgehog houses can be found tucked away in the wooded areas. Among the greenery you’ll also find fruit trees like damsons and medlars.

The gardens at The Well include lawns, an orchard, allotment and bog garden, all managed with an increasingly naturalistic approach to boost biodiversity.

The orchard features apple, pear, quince and cherry trees while the allotment grows everything from pumpkins and peas to runner beans and raspberries. Much of the produce is used in the Hospice Café to prepare fresh, healthy meals for patients and staff, with any surplus sold to raise vital funds.

A new feature of our gardens this summer is ‘Go with the Flow’ — a silver medal winning garden from the 2025 RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, now permanently installed at The Well. Designed as a refuge for wildlife in our inner cities, it uses clever landscaping and natural topography to combat flooding and support biodiversity. At the heart of the garden are specially designed small pools which overflow into the main pond and offer wildlife safe and accessible routes. Reeds attract dragonflies whose larvae need to crawl up out of the water to moult and low planting provides shade and safety for spawning frogs. The garden also makes clever use of materials which would otherwise be wasted, such as excavated soil, sand and leftover logs — now habitats for nesting bees and hibernating amphibians.

Go with the Flow showcases mostly native plants, selected for their beauty and the abundance of species they attract. Notable examples include: Molinia caerulea (purple moor grass), a host plant for butterflies; Betula pendula (silver birch) which will support bats and birds; and Carex pendula (pendulous sage) which will provide habitats and year-round food for larger insects like crickets and grasshoppers. Wildlife sightings at The Well include nuthatches, common newts, grey wagtails, siskins and jays — a testament to the garden’s growing ecological richness.

To learn more about the ‘Go with the Flow’ pocket garden, please visit the following link: https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-hampton-court-palace-garden-festival/gardens/2025/go-with-the-flow.