Towards the end of January 2024 I was lucky enough to be given a tour of the nature reserve at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, in Barnet, North London by their friendly and enthusiastic Support Engagement Officer, Tony Cucchiara. Tony was kind enough to walk me around the whole of the nature reserve which is a designated “Site of Interest for Nature Conservation” and makes up a large part of the grounds in which the hospice is situated. Although I was visiting on a grey day in the depths of winter, it was still a remarkably beautiful and peaceful place to be and I took quite a few photos to share with you below. Hopefully, one day, I will go back to visit when there are some flowers in bloom, but I was very content to walk amongst the bare trees, bright moss, ponds and grasses.
THE TREES…
are probably the most important part of the nature reserve, providing shelter and habitats for the local wildlife. There are cameras set up in the nature reserve so that live footage of the wildlife can be seen inside the Ark by the children, their families and staff.
THE E-CENTRE…
is home to The Friends of Barnet Environment Centre a registered charity who maintain the 7.5 acre nature reserve and who also provide events for the local community and activities for schools in order to educate and inspire a lasting interest in and appreciation of the natural world. Their volunteers work hard to maintain a nature-friendly area including a Bluebell Wood, Wildlife Ponds, compost areas, bird boxes, natural woven fencing, hedging and bug hotels; creating diverse habitats and ensuring that Noah’s Ark families and the local community will continue to benefit from the tranquillity of the Nature Reserve.
PATHS…
have been especially built to give full access to the nature reserve for all the children and their families that use the hospice.
RESTING SPOTS…
are dotted around the trail to provide opportunities to observe, reflect and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. At one of these resting spots, a special Butterfly Woodland Walk is full of colourful butterflies designed and created by artist Paul Cox – each butterfly has a tag attached, inscribed with a message celebrating and honouring a child who has died. The butterflies are a way for families to remember their child and all the happy times they had together.
MOSS…
is one of my favourite things to find on a nature walk and there was lots of it! 🙂
OTHER OUTDOOR SPACES…
include an accessible playground and a sensory garden for the users of the hospice. The playground allows all children to get involved with everything from a wheelchair seesaw to a trampoline or accessible swing. The sensory garden is an interactive, therapeutic social space designed for everyone; for children and their families, as well as Noah’s Ark staff and volunteers. The garden includes plants and flowers with interesting textures, colours and aromas, as well as sensory instruments. There is also an accessible soil are for children to play with the earth and plant seeds.
The whole outdoor area attached to the hospice provides a stimulating and fun place for children and a tranquil, contemplative space for families; it recognises the importance of nature and outdoor spaces for everyone.
This is the reason I chose Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice as the second charity to support with my 50 Flowers Project. Yellow Roses are said to represent friendship and the remembrance of loved ones. To me, they also represent bright, sunny and joyful days.
Sales of my ‘Yellow Roses #3’ Fine Art Giclée prints have raised £255 so far for the hospice and if you’d like to purchase one of the prints you can do so here.
There is also the option to purchase three other original Yellow Rose acrylic paintings on watercolour paper (50.5cm x 70.5cm), with over a third of the purchase cost being donated to Noah’s Ark Hospice (click on each image for more information):
50 Flowers for 50 Charities 