31 Oct
Community Project: Outstanding Courtyard Rejuvenation Project at Morriston Hospital, Swansea
We strongly believe in making a positive contribution to the communities in which we work. Fundamental to this is the delivery of fully funded community projects which aim to support and benefit those around us. F P Hurley have worked in Morriston Hospital since 1980, with a continued site presence from 2002 to the present date. To show our appreciation to Swansea Bay University Health Board, we jumped at the chance to be the first contractor to be part of the planned courtyard regeneration scheme and committed £25,000 to the project.
Simon Midgley, Director, and Vicky Midgley, Charity Project Manager, led the project and met with key people from the Health Board, including Clare Ford, Physiotherapy Clinical Manager and Mark Jarret, Estates Building Manager. From their discussions, it became apparent that the space needed to be more than just an aesthetically pleasing outdoor area, it was going to be used as a therapeutic space to assist in the rehabilitation of the burns patients at Morriston Hospital. Moving forward, Vicky and Clare developed a scope of works, and Vicky worked hard to secure all the items and materials needed for the project and organised the necessary drawings.
The brief and scope set out the department’s requirements for the space, which included:
- Putting hole
- Basketball net
- Seating with end and centre handrail
- Training stairs with handrails and landing
- Entrance handrail on sloping section
- Safe surfaces with different textures
- Minimum maintenance
Physiotherapy Courtyard Project
To achieve the scope, 20 volunteers from both our office and site teams gave up their weekends to prepare the area for the specialist finishes. This involved:
- Removing the greenhouse
- Breaking up the concrete base
- Removing 8 tonnes of quartz gravel
- Dig out and concrete in edging kerbs
- Lay and compact 4 tonnes of sub base
- Lay 2 tonnes of heather blue slate
- Clean, weed and re-sand paviours
Once our team completed these preparatory works, local specialists, Caradog Landscapes, provided and laid the artificial grass and bright yellow wet-pour rubber safety surface. Dean Hyde Builders fitted the benches supplied by Second Life Products Wales Ltd, a local company specialising in manufacturing benches from recycled plastic waste.
To finish off, we fitted the stainless steel handrails, basketball net, bespoke training stairs (which were designed in-house and built by Second Life Products Wales Ltd), cleaned the area and presented putters, balls and basketballs in readiness for the grand opening on the 24th October 2019.
Simon Midgley, F P Hurley Director, comments:
We were keen to fund and deliver this project as it will make a real difference to the rehabilitation of patients. We had an excellent team of volunteers who brought a range of skills and determination to the project, and because of this it was a great success. We are always looking for the chance to go the extra mile for our clients and communities, and this was an excellent opportunity to help.
These patients are often in hospital for months and the courtyard will provide an area which is therapeutic, and provides an environment where they can recover with dignity, instead of using the hospital stairways.
Swansea Bay University Health Board are delighted with the end result.
Menna Davies, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist at Morriston Hospital, said:
Thank you everyone who has been involved in this project! This will make such a difference to our patients in the future.
