PATIENTS at Blaenau Gwent's Hospice of the Valleys are enjoying a brand new garden at their day centre in Ebbw Vale.

The garden was officially opened in a ceremony at the hospice centre in Festival Drive last week, attended by staff, volunteers, patients and relatives, as well as the Blaenau Gwent MP Nick Smith.

Ein Gardd – or ‘our garden’ – was created free of charge by Carillion Plc, whose staff worked hard for several weeks to clear the overgrown area outside the day centre, build a fence and pagoda, and lay a patio.

Family Vision and Finance, of Tredegar, who have adopted the hospice as their company’s charity of the year, raised £1,500 with a fundraising walk up Pen y Fan and asked for it to be spent on the garden.

The money was used to buy garden furniture, an umbrella, water features and wind chimes, as well as lots of plants and gardening tools.

Now an attractive, colourful, outdoor space, the garden is already being well used by the patients – even when the weather is wet under the pagoda.

The garden was the idea of clinical nurse specialist Alison Jones, who runs the Challenge Project along with the Alzheimer’s Society to care for patients with dementia, and she co-ordinated the project through to completion.

Helen Rees, chief executive of the Hospice, said: "We are very grateful to the team at Carillion who created this lovely garden for us, and to Family Vision and Finance, for funding all the garden equipment and furniture. Without the help of these two organisations it would have taken a great deal more time and money before this project could go forward.

"We would also like to thank Tradeteam, who own and share this building with us, for allowing us to create this garden and for all their support with the project.

"The garden has been a real team effort by everyone and we hope our patients will enjoy it for many years to come."

The hospice provides specialist palliative care for adults in Blaenau Gwent who have a life-limiting illness, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Anyone who can help with fundraising for the Hospice should contact Helen Morgan or Kevin Davidge on 01495 717277.