Queens Road Medical Practice is moving into the ‘Detroit’ building on the Grange, which housed Ladies’ College until 1965, prompting the practice to create a partnership with the all-girls college.
Year 10 students at Ladies’ College have been working to create a green space for patients at the new practice site, which opened on 11th November.
The first element of the green space, a garden for well-being, will be bug hotels; a space for insects to shelter and nest. The bug hotel will be made from old pallets and has the ability to be expanded in future to encourage more insects.
Rob Jordan, Manager at Queens Road Medical Practice, said: “It was important to us to partner with Ladies’ College, given that our new building is their old building! This collaboration isn’t just about enhancing our surroundings, but to create a partnership that will benefit our patients, and the student’s growth and connection to the community.”
In the future, the space will benefit from handmade birdhouses. The students will be using Merlin Bird ID, the free bird identification app, to learn about the different species of birds that are currently in the area, and continually monitor if any new species visit the site.
A fully accessible herb garden will also be planted for next spring, which will not only provide a sensory space, but will be used as an educational tool, with the students researching which herbs were used medicinally throughout time. The herbs will be used by Ladies’ College to extract essential oils through steam distillation.
Dr Karen Marshall, Head of Science at Ladies College, said: “It has been a pleasure to start work on this exciting project with our students and the practice. The girls have enjoyed exploring various aspects of the green space and the sustainability behind it and it’s an honour to work on something that will be enjoyed by the community for many years to come.”
Pictured: Left to right – Rob Jordan, Practice Manager at Queens Road Medical Practice, Dr Karen Marshall Head of Science at Ladies’ College, and Medha Vallapureddy and Annabelle Smith, Ladies’ College students.
