Artist and specialist healthcare provider collaborate to plant new trees on hospital grounds

An innovative collaboration between award-winning artist, Lucy Pittaway, and specialist healthcare provider, Elysium Healthcare, will see the creation of a series of ‘Tiny Forests’ at hospitals and care homes across England and Wales.

The pioneering partnership is set to bring significant environmental and wellbeing benefits to people supported in services across the country.

In 2023, after the tragic felling of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland, Pittaway was inundated with requests to paint the stricken tree.

And she pledged to plant a new tree for every print of the painting sold, with unprecedented demand.

More than 4,600 prints were sold, and Pittaway and her team set about finding locations to plant the new trees where they would have the most-positive impact.

Her first planting project using trees from the Sycamore Gap pledge saw her contribute 1,000 saplings at the Swinton Estate to replace trees lost to larch blight.

And she has now joined forces with Elysium, which has more than 100 hospitals and care homes supporting people with mental health illness, learning disabilities, autism, eating disorders, and neurological conditions, to create a series of ‘Tiny Forests’ in the grounds and gardens of its services.

Through her Sycamore Gap pledge, Pittaway will contribute trees to plant at the services, where they can be enjoyed by patients, their families, and staff working at the hospitals and homes. 

Each ‘Tiny Forest’ will be different, depending on the location, size, and nature of each service, and will be co-produced with the people who use the specific services.

To launch the collaboration, Pittaway visited Level 2 Rehabilitation Services Crossley Place in Liverpool and Victoria Gardens in Huyton to learn more about the people supported at the services, and about their ‘Tiny Forest’ plans.

Andy Wadley, director of NHS contracts and integrated systems and sustainability lead at Elysium, said: “As an organisation, Elysium is absolutely committed to sustainability and protecting the environment.

“Alongside this, research shows just how important green spaces and being outdoors are for everyone’s mental and physical health and wellbeing.

“These Tiny Forests will help us enhance the outdoor spaces around our services and encourage people to spend time outside.

“They will be co-produced with the people we support, who will be involved at all stages from research to tree choice, design, planting, and ongoing maintenance.

“We have plans for projects which will see us plant endangered native species and others which involve creating communal outdoor relaxation spaces.

“This is a truly-exciting collaboration with Lucy and we can’t wait to get started!”

Pittaway added: “We are delighted that these Tiny Forests will have such a positive impact, not only on the environment, but on the lives of people who use Elysium’s services, their families, and their staff teams.

“When we made the Sycamore Gap pledge, we wanted to see something positive come out of the sadness the loss of the tree brought and to honour its legacy.

“This partnership with Elysium and creating these wonderful forests in all shapes and sizes certainly does that.”