Aberdeen Royal Infirmary Roof Garden to open by summer 2014 Paralympic medallist Karen Darke's life changed after she fell off a cliff and became paralysed from the chest down two decades ago. She spent a month in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) where she met Reverend James Falconer, the hospital's healthcare chaplain. A shared passion for the outdoors James has worked at the ARI for over 22 years and specialises in adult trauma and critical care. In his spare time, he volunteers for the National Trust of Scotland and says this role gives him an appreciation of outside spaces and fresh air. Through his job, he became increasingly aware of the number of patients who were desperate to get outside while they were in hospital for a long period of time. He said: "Patients were asking to be taken outside but the only places we could go was the front door where the bus port is, or the top of the steps of the children's hospital. It was really impossible to get patients in that situation outside into a nice space. The Roof Garden Space, or lack of it, is often the hindering factor behind a lack of green areas in hospital settings. In December 2011, a new emergency care centre was completed and planning for a new entrance was made. Suddenly, the opportunity for some free roof space on top of the first floor entrance became apparent. Sewing the seed After initial proposals were made, the plan began to take shape in October 2012. "The roof garden is being supported by charitable donations," James said. We had the entire garden gifted to us by the Royal Bank of Canada. "Their 2013 gold award-winning "Blue Water Roof Garden" from the Chelsea Flower Show has been brought up to Scotland with the help of ARR Craib Transport and is being looked after by Ben Reid's nursery. Work is now almost finished on the garden and we are delighted that it is being designed by Professor Nigel Dunnett of Sheffield University who is a specialist in the area of roof gardens. Relax, reflect and rejuvenate The garden will be primarily for long-stay patients and their families from the hospital's intensive care unit or high dependency areas. "After a diagnosis, people not only have to get physically better but they also face new challenges," James said. For example, they may not be able live in their own home again and need to move to more suitable accommodation. There will be a new sanctuary in the garden which will be a quiet, reflective space with a big stained glass window so people can sit and look out into the garden. We want the garden to be a calm space for patients. Garden designs The Blue Water Roof Garden is being adapted to fit the larger roof space at the ARI. Have a look at the plans here. Green fingers The project has currently raised over £350,000, over half of their £700,000 target. The steel work for the garden is now in place and it is expected that the garden will be built this spring and open by the summer. A proud ambassador Karen, 42, is currently training hard in Majorca. She was one of the first people James thought to contact when looking for a project ambassador. She already has a London 2012 Paralympic road cycling silver medal, a 2012 World Chamionship paratriathlon gold medal and a 2013 World Championship paratriathlon silver medal under her belt, the latter, Karen says, is her proudest achievement, as it took place just three months after she was knocked down by a car. In her sights is the para-cycling World Cup and Championship, the possibility of competing in the paratriathlon at the 2014 Olympics in Rio and the hope of skiing in Antarctica in the winter of 2016. But no matter how busy her schedule gets, the former Aberdeen student always has time for the Roof Garden appeal. She said: "I think there is something very healing about nature and natural things. During my time in hospital, getting out to green places for breaks made a massive difference to my motivation to recover. Concrete car parks and buildings don't have that sort of inspiring, healing effect that nature has, and so being able to go to a place where you can see nice things, sit quietly or chat with friends would be very therapeutic and inspiring for anyone's journey through difficult health issues. At least that's what I found. Looking forward not backward is the only positive way I think. It is great to know that the project has been a success and popular. It just goes to show that people feel similarly about the power of nature. For more on the management of long term conditions and mental health, visit NHS inform. Top image credit: Chris Christodoulou