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NHS gardening volunteer invited to Downing Street

Alex McIntyreWest Midlands
MCHT A woman with short white hair, glasses, a white shirt and floral skirt, stands and smiles outside the front door of Number 10 Downing Street while pointing up at the number on the door. MCHT
Sue Worthington, who volunteers at Leighton Hospital in Crewe, was asked to attend the NHS birthday celebrations at Number 10

An NHS volunteer who was instrumental in transforming a hospital's gardens said she was left in "absolute shock" after being invited to 10 Downing Street.

Sue Worthington, based at Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Cheshire, was among more than 100 staff at the Prime Minister's residence on Monday to celebrate the health service's 78th birthday.

She was asked to attend in recognition of her dedication and contribution to healthcare, having held various roles at the NHS over the last 60 years.

"My reaction to being chosen to attend was just absolute shock. To be honest, I'm still processing the honour I've been given to represent our hospital," Worthington said.

She first joined the NHS in 1966 as a therapy radiographer at The Christie in Manchester, where she worked until 1975.

After spending some time travelling and raising a family, she became an occupational therapy assistant practitioner at Leighton Hospital in 1995 – a role she held until her retirement in 2015.

MCHT A woman with short white hair, a blue jacket and red lanyard smiles as she has both her hands on the handle of a spade, which she was putting into the ground. She is standing in the middle of a garden.MCHT
Sue Worthington has been volunteering as part of the gardening team since retiring in 2015

Part of her job involved taking patients outdoors to take part in gardening activities and during the 1990s, when the hospital's original garden was relocated, she helped to create a new space by organising the fundraising.

She worked with young people from the Prince's Trust to create the first new garden section, which opened in 1997 before further improvements were made in 1999 and 2001.

The garden had to be transformed again during construction of the hospital's new critical care unit, with Worthington and fellow volunteer David Williams opening the new space in 2016.

The team have since maintained 11 gardens across the site, which the hospital's operator, the Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said was vital for the wellbeing of staff and patients.

MCHT A garden behind a white hospital building. The area is mostly tarmac and is bordered with a brown, wooden fence. There are planted areas dotted around, including two large bushes in the middle, with smaller plants around the border.MCHT
The dementia-friendly garden is one of many Sue Worthington has taken care of at Leighton Hospital

"My ambition since I started at Leighton was always to do something special with the courtyards," Worthington said.

"So having the opportunity to design and develop the gardens alongside David has been a dream come true."

Speaking of her trip to Downing Street, Worthington recalled the feeling of excitement when she walked through the famous Number 10 door and also seeing the garden there.

"It all looked so lovely and I'm sure I'll take away some ideas," she added. "I'm always looking for inspiration to help improve the gardens at Leighton, even at Number 10."

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