Wellbeing of nurses marked with visit to Littlethorpe Manor garden on International Nurses Day

The National Garden Scheme partnered with one of our supporting gardens, Littlethorpe Manor in Ripon, to give over 40 nurses the chance to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of a garden visit on International Nurses Day, Monday 12 May.

Each year this special day marks the birthday of Florence Nightingale and is used to celebrate the nursing profession and to raise awareness of the challenges nurses around the world are facing.

“By prioritizing the wellbeing of nurses, we are ensuring that they can continue to provide the high-quality care that is critical to the health of our communities, which is turn strengthens our economies,” says Dr Pamela Cipriano, president of the International Council of Nurses. “Nurses face numerous challenges: physical, mental, emotional and ethical, and it is imperative that we address these challenges in a way that promotes their overall health.”

The nurses were joined at Littlethorpe Manor by Steph Lawrence the new Chief Executive of the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN), who said: “I was delighted to be able to join fellow Queen’s Nurses and to celebrate the partnership we have with the National Garden Scheme. International Nurses Day is a very significant day for nurses everywhere and I hope nurses will remember their own wellbeing, as well as that of the people they serve.”

L to r: The nurses gather by the lake, the Physic Garden and Head Gardener Eddie Harland

Studies have shown* that visiting gardens, gardening and being in nature can all help to lower cortisol levels, reducing stress and providing a boost to the endorphins.

“Gardens are full of the simple beauty of nature and can stimulate all the senses leaving one with an enduring sense of wellbeing,” says National Garden Scheme chief executive, George Plumptre. “Having been founded by the Queen’s Institute of Community Nurses (QICN) almost 100 years ago, we are delighted to be able to mark this very special day with Queen’s Nurses past and present in the fabulous gardens at Littlethorpe Manor.”

The choice of Littlethorpe Manor for the visit couldn’t have been more fitting; it is a garden that celebrates a close connection to the medical and nursing professions.

“Myself and Eddie Harland, Head Gardener, were delighted to be host the nurses at Littlethorpe Manor on such a special day,” said owner Christin Thackray. “Sharing the garden with them was a pleasure, especially the recently completed Physic Garden which was inspired by our family connections to nursing and medicine.”

The event even made it onto the front page of the Yorkshire Post!

For those keen to visit Littlethorpe Manor for themselves, the garden opens under the National Garden Scheme on Sunday 6 July. For details visit: https://findagarden.ngs.org.uk/garden/21025/littlethorpe-manor