The picnic table helping local NHS staff relax

Our NHS staff have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic during what must have been one of the toughest years ever. When we heard that staff on wards at a local hospital were struggling for an outdoor break space where they could sit down, we knew that we had to do something to help.

Jo Chilvers, Assistant General Manager of the Outpatients Services at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust got in touch with us a few weeks ago. She told us that, due to the pandemic, the hospital had been struggling for space.

This meant that staff often had nowhere to sit outside during their breaks. She thought that it would be great if they had an area to sit down outside when on their break, a space that was away from their area of work. She emailed us asking what seating we had available and what sort of cost it would be.

We have a range of benches, tables and chairs available so it was a matter of trying to pick something to suit their needs. As Jo had mentioned that space was an issue, we suggested our traditional Rectangular Picnic table. It’s a great space-saver and it’s hard-wearing and built to last- Some of you might remember a story from a couple of years back when a few of them washed away during flooding and then turned up 39 miles away!

When George, our Managing Director, found out about Jo’s email he saw it as a great way for us to say thanks to the NHS staff for their hard work, so we provided the bench free of charge. George said, “ We recognise the importance of staff being able to take a break in nice surroundings, never more so than in these times”. We got back in touch with Jo right away to tell her the good news.

Now, we usually deliver our picnic tables flat packed and ready for assembly but we wanted the staff to be able to use it straight away. Some of us decided that we would put the bench together ourselves before we delivered it. When we got to the hospital with the built picnic table, we were able to put it straight in the area where it would be enjoyed by everyone – better still, we even got a snap of Jo, her colleague Dawn and an outpatient making the most of their new space.

From all of us at Cheltenham Fencing, thank you – it was the least we could do after all of your hard work!