Blooming marvellous! A career dedicated to hospital gardens
A lifetime of devotion to hospital gardens all began for Paul Roberts when he joined the estates team at the West Norwich Hospital in 1985.
Now, 40 years later Paul is now Grounds Supervisor at NNUH, heading up a team of six who ensure our 64 acres of gardens and grounds are gleaming and immaculate.
He studied horticulture at Burlingham College and didn’t let the grass grow once qualified, swiftly joining the N&N team.
“We’re always looking to provide all year-round colourful flower displays for patients, visitors and staff here,” said Paul. “There are many shrubbery areas, individual gardens and hedges. We keep all of this trimmed and refreshed to make sure the grounds are looking their best.”
Paul and the team start in the early hours, clear all the rubbish from the hospital entrances, pressure wash the paved areas, check the flowerbeds and make sure everything is clean and tidy.
“This means that by the time we’ve cleared and cleaned, and people begin to arrive on-site everything is looking really smart – I love that we make that difference every day and improve the experience of everyone using or visiting the site.
“The areas at the front of the building, the lawns, hedges and flowers, including the rose garden, are really important. They give a sense of calm and a lovely green space in amongst the main buildings. These are some of my favourite areas and I work on them myself including the topiary.
“We have some other lovely garden areas too like the pond on the west side which has fish – it’s a quiet area that patients and visitors really appreciate. We feed the fish every morning and they know when breakfast is coming round!”
Paul’s team is part of Serco but work closely in partnership with the Trust’s Estates team. Together the teams have brought in many changes and improvements to adapt to a changing environment.
“We work in partnership with colleagues in Estates including introducing more sustainability to the site and helping to improve the environment for wildlife.
“Project examples include our wildflower meadow areas, which we’re hoping to expand, bug hotels, and making sure that trees can cope with the dry conditions with the use of tree watering bags.”
Paul works closely with Emma Jarvis, Environmental Arts Manager, on creating new garden areas and making improvements. This includes designing the planting layout of new Spring bulbs and trees donated by charities.
“Working with Paul and his team, and other Serco colleagues is tremendously positive and a true partnership experience”, said Emma. “We agree a framework of work priorities across the estate and grounds, and we work together to decide how the priorities are delivered.
“They do a super job and their help and commitment to the grounds, gardens and the environmental projects have contributed greatly to their success.”
Paul said: “I enjoy how our work, maintaining the grounds and always refreshing the gardens really improves everyone’s experience of being here. It’s a labour of love.”