Green-fingered Clare has put her heart into tending gardens

Green-fingered Clare has put her heart into tending gardens

12 April 2023

THE carefully manicured gardens in the grounds of the Downshire Hospital in Downpatrick are an oasis of calm.

For almost 30 years they have been lovingly tended by the South Eastern Trust’s head gardener Clare McCawley who has also been involved in a number of extraordinary garden projects to enhance the health and wellbeing for staff, patients and the local community.

One of the district’s former senior health administrators, Dr Collim Patton, had a vision to create an array of garden areas within the sprawling Downshire estate to be enjoyed by not only staff and patients, but also the public who were invited to enjoy the surroundings.

Over the past 27 years, Clare has been the backbone of a number of projects benefiting patients and service users, in particular working alongside the Northern Ireland Probation Board.

In addition to the Downshire estate, she has been involved in a number of garden projects working with patients at nearby in Finneston House in Downpatrick, creating decorative crafts to be sold or used in the gardens. 

And Clare is also involved with local GP surgeries, bringing together older members of the community to provide them with an opportunity to meet others and socialise in a fun environment, reducing the feelings of loneliness and providing support for the local community. 

There are many strings to Clare’s bow and she has been instrumental in a project involving young children from the GP Federations, which has provided them with an opportunity to develop their own space to plant flowers and a variety of vegetables, with the head gardener giving them some knowledge and fun tips along the way.

Even in the depth of cold, dark winter months when there is less time to be spent outdoors, Clare has developed innovative projects, as she felt it was important to give all of these different groups an opportunity to stay involved in the gardens. 

The Probation Board remains involved throughout this period with young people involved in cutting logs and creating handcrafted items such as bird houses which can be spotted throughout the gardens in different locations.

Different craft fairs are arranged to sell the items with the money returned to the groups to help purchase further materials. The fairs have been a great success, with Clare overseeing the projects and ensuring local communities feel involved.

“I have been lucky in my role because I have had great managers who have supported me,” said Clare.

“The Downshire gardens are open all year round for everyone to enjoy and particularly throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, they became very important. They gave staff a much-needed release from the hospital environment, allowing them to visit and relax.”

Clare added: “I love my work, love working with patients and love the garden. We have also won a number of awards over the years which has been amazing. I am always working towards something new for the health trust.”

Clare has also revealed that her next project is focused on the health and wellbeing of staff as she wants to be able to give something back, especially to everyone that worked exceptionally hard over the Covid-19 period. 

A number of group sessions are being organised for staff to enjoy different activities and the opportunity to learn some new skills, such as herbal tea making.

The South Eastern Trust’s records and information manager for mental health, Nicola Maybin, has been Clare’s manager for almost four years, describing her as a “fantastic asset to the service”.

She said Clare has demonstrated her excellent work over the past 27 years and is a dedicated member of staff.  

“Clare is always here through rain, hail or snow,” Nicola continued.

“She really puts her heart and soul into the gardens and that is evident. Her passion for what she does is outstanding and she has the wellbeing of the patients and staff at the heart of everything she does, which is just amazing.”