Celebrating 5 Years of Hope at Rosewood Mother and Baby Unit in Dartford

On Friday 29 September, Rosewood Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) held its Teddy Bears’ Picnic to mark 5 incredible years since the opening of the Unit and 2 years since the beautiful RHS - Royal Horticultural Society ‘Garden of Hope’, designed by award winning garden designer, writer, and television presenter Arit Anderson, was installed.

The Teddy Bears’ Picnic is an annual event where mums and their families who have been in the unit during the previous 12 months are invited to join staff for a picnic in the wonderful garden. Rosewood MBU is a specialist in-patient unit for mums facing acute perinatal mental illness, from Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

Mothers can be admitted from 32 weeks into pregnancy or with infants up to 12 months old and they receive care and treatment from the specialist team on the unit.

The MBU was designed by mums, for mums and mums with lived experience make up part of the multi professional team.

The Garden of Hope is a tranquil sanctuary where mums and babies continue on their journey to recovery, surrounded by nature’s embrace. The design includes beautiful steam-bent oak wooden sculptures created by sculptor Charlie Whinney, which twists and flows throughout the garden, incorporating a child’s swing and a covered seating area, creating the feeling of a big hug.

Sara Garaway, an Occupational Therapist at the unit said: “Getting outside in nature can really boost service users’ mental wellbeing. We are very lucky to have this beautiful garden space to run our outdoor therapy sessions and sit outside on the seating areas, embracing the surroundings when the weather is nice.”

Dr. Chidi Nwosu, Consultant Psychiatrist added: “I am delighted to see our community coming together to celebrate our hard work over the last 12 months. What is particularly rewarding is that we sometimes have former service users or their family members return as volunteers on the unit.”

Rose Waters, Deputy Service Director at Rosewood MBU, expressed her pride on the event day, saying: “I am incredibly proud of our multidisciplinary team and volunteers who are all so dedicated to this service, and whose compassion, care and treatment is vital in supporting mums’ with their recovery.

“It is fantastic to see so many familiar faces as mums, their families and our staff come together to celebrate. It is made all the more special this year by our award-winning garden designer Arit Anderson joining us, as well as Mark Gregory whose company ‘Landform Consultants ltd’ installed the garden after it was shown at the Royal Chelsea Flower Show.”

Here’s to many more years of hope, healing, and support at Rosewood Mother and Baby Unit!

For more information on Rosewood MBU, please visit: KMPT | Rosewood Mother and Baby Unit