In partnership with our valued supply chain partners, GRAHAM successfully delivered a Design and Build programme, collaborating with St Cuthbert’s Catholic High Schoo to enhance a small area within the garden grounds of Peasley Cross Hospital.
Watch the video below to see how everyone got on during the volunteering day.
Why did GRAHAM get involved?
GRAHAM is currently building a new mental health facility for Mersey Care NHS Trust. As part of our commitment to deliver social value and positively impact people who Mersey Cares, the Trust's charity, support across its footprint, we reached out to the charity to explore how we could best support them through volunteering efforts.
We also saw a fantastic opportunity to partner with a secondary school, aiming to upskill the children while educating them about the construction sector and the importance of community service.
Andrew Fellows, Project Manager at GRAHAM, said:
“Improving the hospital’s ‘secret garden’ will greatly benefit the patients and staff who use it. We wanted to create a space that visitors truly enjoy spending time in.”
The Design and Build Programme’s Process
GRAHAM collaborated with A+B Engineering, supply chain partner, to share our experience with them in successfully delivering bespoke programmes. We engaged with 12 Year 9 pupils from St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School to help deliver this initiative. After conducting four sessions with the students to explain the project’s purpose and requirements, the students worked in teams to produce their designs. They then pitched their concepts during a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style session to a panel of four judges from GRAHAM, A+B Engineering and Mersey Care NHS Trust.
After much deliberation, a winning design was selected to be built on-site at Mersey Care’s Peasley Cross Hospital.
On ‘build day’, alongside a team of over 40 volunteers, the students enthusiastically brought the winning design to life and participated in other hands-on activities to improve the garden. These activities included painting, leaf blowing, jet washing, tidying the pond area, weeding, and planting.
Reflection from a Supply Chain Partner
Robert Hurst, Director of Operations at Chroda Facilities Management, said:
“Seeing the fantastic work these volunteers, including the students, did to improve the hospital’s garden was heart-warming. Witnessing the hard work and contribution of Tom, a 77-year-old lead groundsman volunteer, was inspiring. We were delighted to acknowledge his impact by gifting him a leaf blower.”
Celebrating achievements
The students were invited to a celebration event at GRAHAM’s Mossley Hill Hospital site, where they were presented with certificates. The winning team members also each received an Amazon gift card.
Vicky Jones, Head of Year 9 at St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School, said:
“We were delighted to be offered this opportunity to make a difference within our local community. The initiative truly reflects St Cuthbert’s school values, and we are immensely proud of the way our year 9 students rose to the challenge. As well as developing key skills in leadership and teamwork, students also gained a valuable insight into the wide range of roles within the construction industry and the importance of sustainability. We look forward to building on the success of this project and working with you all again.”
Joanne Watson, Mersey Cares Charity Lead, said:
“We are incredibly grateful to GRAHAM and their sub-contractors for generously volunteering their time and donating resources to enhance the gardens at Peasley Cross Hospital. Our heartfelt thanks also go to the volunteers, staff, and students from St Cuthbert’s who helped bring the transformation to life. Their hard work has made a tremendous impact, creating a serene and therapeutic environment that will greatly benefit our patients, service users, and staff—including the Recovery Team, which supports adults with long-term mental health needs.”
About the new Mossley Hill Mental Health Facility
GRAHAM is building a new state-of-the-art mental health facility via a building contract with developer, Liverpool and Sefton Health Partnership Ltd (LSHP), on land owned by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust in Mossley Hill, Liverpool.
The new inpatient facility will phase out traditional shared dormitory mental health wards to provide 80 single bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms. Throughout the hospital, there will be an emphasis on providing therapeutic spaces with light and airy environments as well as facilities for family visitation and multi-faith worship.
