Green space to benefit service users and wider community in Peamount

Peamount Healthcare and the HSE Climate Action team worked together to create a new green space which recently opened on June 22.

Residents, staff, service users, and the wider community and environment will all benefit from this project, reports Steven Reid.

Speaking on the project, the Peamount Healthcare CEO Tanya King said: “At Peamount Healthcare we pride ourselves on providing a specialist set of high-quality healthcare and social care services for our service users. This project improves and maintains access to all these areas for residents, staff, and visitors and supports our vision to help people to live more independently.”

The initiative intends to aid the efforts of the campus to deliver care through “green therapy” in addition to its countless other uses.

In total, 4,500 trees were planted, which included 75 heritage apple and nut trees in three new orchards and the creation of 2ha of hay meadow.

Microsoft Ireland was also heavily involved in the project as they dedicated over 70 volunteers who spent two days on the 65-acre site to ensure the initiative came to fruition.

Commenting on the initiative, Dr. Philip Crowley, the HSE National Director for Strategy and Research, said: “I am delighted to officially open these new green spaces and to meet management, staff and service users to hear about the extraordinary work that has been undertaken for the benefit of service users, staff and the community. The HSE has recently launched its climate action strategy which is the overarching organisational commitment to future proof and encourage sustainable and environmentally friendly initiatives such as this one by Peamount Healthcare.

“Congratulations to all involved. I look forward to seeing this initiative flourish into the future” he added.

Local members of the community have already been reaping the benefit of the new space. Peggy Blackburn, a local resident and a service user of the Day Service at Peamount Healthcare commented: “We are very happy with the new outdoor quiet spaces. We can sit quietly and listen to natural sounds, like the birds singing and the bees humming. It is so peaceful and relaxing.”

In addition to the support of HSE and Microsoft Ireland, Peamount was grateful to call on the expertise and assistance of both One Tree Planted and Trees on the Land. The founder of One Tree Planted, Matt Hill, said regarding the impact of the trees: “As the trees grow, they will restore habitat for biodiversity, increase tree cover and green space for the community, and improve climate change resilience.”