We were excited to be able to donate a selection of STIHL tools to Horatio’s Garden, a national charity creating and nurturing beautiful gardens in NHS spinal injury centres. These centres support everyone affected by a spinal injury, and Horatio’s Garden work with leading landscape designers to create gardens at the centres that can be used by patients facing long stays in NHS hospitals, as well as their families and friends.
Ashley Edwards, Head Gardener at Horatio’s Garden London & South East, shared with us how the donation of STIHL AP System cordless tools and a pressure washer made a difference to the work he carries out in the gardens.
“The STIHL cordless tools are lightweight and much quieter than petrol machines, making them ideal for the hospital environment. The fact that they are battery-powered means there is no need to store flammable fuels on site, and no exhaust emissions from the machine.
The STIHL BGA 86 leaf blower makes quick work of autumn leaves. As we are surrounded by woodland here at Horatio’s Garden London, this cordless leaf blower saves us countless hours of manual raking and leaf picking. It is lightweight and easy to use and the battery life is enough to complete the whole garden before needing recharging.
The STIHL FSA 65 cordless grass trimmer is great for cutting the grassy banks either side of the garden. As the banks are sloped, a lawn mower would be tricky to handle but this grass trimmer completes the job quickly and safely. This will be used throughout the summer months to keep the grass banks under control.
We also received a STIHL RE 120 pressure washer which will be used on the resin surfaces in the garden to keep them looking clean and bright. Debris can clog up the permeable surface of the resin causing puddling and so a pressure washer is an essential tool to prevent the build-up of dirt and soil on the surface. This surface means that the gardens are accessible to as many patients as possible.”
We also spoke with Dr Olivia Chapple, Chair of Trustees at Horatio’s Garden. Dr Chapple told us how impactful the donations are.
“During the pandemic Horatio’s Gardens have remained open as natural sanctuaries for patients, their families and hospital staff.
So many patients have told us how important Horatio’s Garden has been to them in their psychosocial recovery, particularly with all the additional stresses of COVID-19. As one patient said ‘The garden helped ground me, giving me time and space to process everything that happened.’
It is wonderful of STIHL to help us continue the work improving the lives of people facing life-changing injuries.”
You can find out more about Horatio’s Garden and the work they do on their Facebook page
