From the Men’s Shed
Last Friday saw the “re-opening” of the Gazebo at Kincardine Community Hospital and the installation of a memorial garden sculpture to the memory of all previous nursing staff and employees who have passed away.
The event was organised by Friends of KCH and attended by Nursing and Hospital management and staff, Friends of KCH, local councillors and community groups, Rotary, Lions and Horizon and members of Men’s Shed who carried out the work.
Friends of KCH is a support group formed by members of the Rotary Club of Stonehaven at the request of the staff at the hospital at the time of the introduction of the Renal Unit. Since inception they have co-ordinated the raising and utilisation of funds for a variety of purchases to the value of over £11,000 for items to benefit the hospital residents and staff.
Recently the staff of the hospital approached the Friends group to ask if they could arrange to renovate the gazebo and memorial garden situated on the East side of the hospital, adjacent to the conservatory. The gazebo has had little done in the way of maintenance since it was donated by BP and installed in 2009. In particular it was needing substantial repairs to the roof section and a complete clean down and recoat of preservatives and final coats of suitable paint to the structure, repairs and recoating of the floor area, plus a substantial tidy up of the memorial garden areas.
The Friends group Chair, Rotarian Billy Hunter, approached Stonehaven Men’s Shed and over the last four weeks the work has been carried out, led by Men’s Shed trustee and Rotarian David Ross. The team consisted of the ever-present Paul Tosh, John Westwater, Duncan Cursiter, and combined Rotary and Men’s shed members, Billy Hunter, Bill Allan and Kenny Dingwall.
The work was finished off by the installation of fairy lights and hanging baskets and the addition of a table, made by the shedders, for inside the Gazebo and some new planters for the garden area. Two benches have also been taken off site and renovated in the Men’s Shed.
They also installed a “Forget me not” memorial sculpture requested by the staff and supplied by Friends.
Between the repairs and the re-coating, it is estimated that Men’s Shed have put in over 80-man hours into the project, but the finished product makes it all worthwhile for them.
The costs of the materials involved and for the memorial sculpture were met by the Friends Group out of funds donated to the hospital by the public.
Charge Nurse Alyson Thomson said: “I would just like to say how much we appreciate the hard work put in by Stonehaven Men’s Shed to refurbish this gazebo and the community garden. This will not only benefit the patients, giving them a lovely area to sit and relax in, or admire from inside, all whilst improving their health and wellbeing, but also provide a place for staff to enjoy their breaks on a sunny day.
”The memorial garden is also a very special place where staff can reflect and remember their former colleagues. The Men’s Shed guys have again made this look wonderful again which is much appreciated by us all.
”Finally, thanks to the Friends, who have made this possible.”
The photographs show the state of the Gazebo and area before and after the work, along with the memorial sculpture. The featured image is of Men’s Shed and Rotarians involved in the project.