Children's ward garden plan gets Oswestry Town Council support

Mayor Jay Moore (left) said he felt it was important to make the garden redesign "a reality"

A new £180,000 garden for a hospital's children's ward could become a reality after a town council said it would consider funding some of it.

About £90,000 has already been raised for the redesign of the Alice Ward garden at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, in Gobowen.

Oswestry town councillors were urged by mayor Jay Moore to put authority funds towards the scheme.

Members backed the idea but did not commit to a specific amount.

They decided they wanted more information about the scheme.

Before they reached a decision, councillors heard from the hospital's fundraising director, Victoria Sugden, who said the children's ward had 500-700 inpatients each year.

"We have some outside space for our children at the moment, but it's not as good a quality as it should be," she said.

The designs for the garden include a covered canopy, woodland walk, bridge and vegetable patch.

Mr Moore put forward a motion to give the project up to the full £90,000 still needed, subject to more information.

"The important thing is making this garden a reality," he said.

But several councillors said they were concerned at the potential cost.

"I am not comfortable committing ourselves to an amount of money at this stage," councillor Mike Isherwood said.

Councillor Frank Davis added the council could risk setting a precedent if it agreed to the full amount.