Students from West Nottinghamshire College have been instrumental in creating a new commemorative garden at Nottinghamshire’s first Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC), providing a dedicated space for reflection and remembrance ahead of the building's opening to the public.
The official ribbon cutting of the student-designed garden.
Located at the entrance to the new Mansfield Community Diagnostic Centre, which is currently under construction alongside Mansfield Community Hospital on Stockwell Gate, the garden has been delivered thanks to a partnership between Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, West Nottinghamshire College, and construction partner Kier. The project has been fully funded by Kier Construction as part of its commitment to delivering social value through the scheme.
The project began as a collaborative design competition, offering students from the college the opportunity to develop concepts for a meaningful outdoor space that would honour NHS colleagues and provide a calm, restorative environment for staff, patients, and visitors.
Students also made the benches situated on the memorial garden.
Drawing on elements of the students’ original ideas, the final garden design has been refined in partnership with estates teams and construction specialists to ensure long-term sustainability, accessibility, and alignment with healthcare environment standards.
The completed garden reflects the spirit, creativity, and intent of the students’ work while ensuring it can be safely maintained as part of a busy clinical setting. The garden was designed by Khaira Miah, George Knights, Ellie Butler, Kacper Dudek and Reuben Slack, who are all students on the T Level Technical Qualification in Surveying and Design.
Students seated (left to right) Kacper Dudek, Ellie Butler, George Knights and Reuben Slack.
The memorial garden was formally opened at a small partnership event on 25 March, recognising the collaboration behind the project and the lasting legacy it will create within the local community.
Andrew Cropley, principal and chief executive at the college, said: “I’m delighted to see this garden complete. For our students, the opportunity to design and create something real and to be able to take pride in building a community asset is a tremendous experience.
“It is yet another great example of our fantastic partnership with Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust and I congratulate everyone involved.”
The garden will delight patients staff and visitors for generation to come.
Jon Melbourne, chief executive at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “The garden represents the best of partnership working. From the creativity of local students to the expertise of our estates and construction teams, the space has been shaped by collaboration.
“We are excited to soon be opening the Mansfield Community Diagnostic Centre, which will deliver tens of thousands of additional diagnostic tests each year, helping patients receive faster access to the investigation they need. We know that coming in for tests can often be an anxious time, so it is important that we create environments that support people as well as treat them.
“The garden will provide a space for patients, visitors, and colleagues to pause and reflect, and it will stand as a lasting reminder of what can be achieved when partners across our community work together”.
Hospital chief executive Jon Melbourne took time to thank the students for their creativity.
Tony Shenton, regional director at Kier Construction Eastern & Midlands, added: “We are proud to have supported the development of this commemorative garden as part of our commitment to delivering social value alongside new healthcare facilities. The partnership approach has created a meaningful and lasting space for the Mansfield community.”
The Memorial Garden will form part of the wider Community Diagnostic Centre site and will be accessible once the facility becomes operational in early April.
The official plaque displayed at the Community Diagnostic Centre.