Winner of Natural Environment Champion – iiE Awards 2020
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) is the largest acute Trust in England, providing care to approximately 750,000 people with over 26,000 members of staff. Faced with the challenge of boosting biodiversity within an urban area, MFT have successfully carried out a variety of projects to improve the natural environment.
‘Over the last year we have seen areas of low ecological value, outside of the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, transform into vibrant and welcoming green spaces. These spaces around the hospitals are now popular recreational, recovery and reflection places for patients, their families, and staff members within the urban campus to experience and enjoy.’
How did they do it?
Following the creation of an active Sustainability Strategy, MFT have used the goals to embed sustainable practice within many of the teams around the hospitals. This includes improving the natural environment, for example by transforming an overgrown courtyard into a peaceful outdoor retreat for patients. By clearing the space and planting colourful flowerbeds, MFT have successfully created a sensory garden with sheltered areas for quiet rest and opportunities for outdoor activity.
MFT have kept pollination and environmental benefit at the forefront of their actions, stationing bug hotels and designing their planting schemes to be as biodiverse as possible. Alongside this, MFT have kept in mind the positive impact the environment has on patients, providing accessible and varied seating areas for people to enjoy the scenery and green spaces. Further environmental projects include dedicated space at many hospitals for on-site allotments and an urban beekeeping project run by staff volunteers, with around 8 honeybee hives being kept on the roof of MFT HQ since 2017.
“Healthy pollinators are crucial for our city ecosystem, so it’s been a pleasure coordinating the MFT urban beekeeping project. It’s brought staff together to learn and appreciate biodiversity in Greater Manchester and raise awareness through selling excess honey to our staff community” – Jen Strong, Senior Sustainability Officer, MFT
Through these outstanding projects MFT have transformed unused spaces into attractive green social areas and biodiversity hotspots, setting them apart at the 2020 iiE awards to subsequently achieve the 2020 Natural Environment Champion Award.
For more information see MFT’s Annual Sustainability Report 2020-2021 or email ECOteam@mft.nhs.uk.
