The Rainbow and Butterfly Gardens

Throughout the past number of years, two memorial gardens have been created at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

The first to be created was the Butterfly Garden, a beautiful space dedicated to providing comfort to those who have experienced the loss of an infant.

Costing £15,000 in total, much of this was raised by local well-wishers. Opened in 2018, since this time has gone from strength to strength, providing a beautiful reflective area for patients as well as colleagues.

The second area is the Rainbow Garden which was created in memory of every individual who sadly passed away as a result of COVID-19, in particular colleagues: Kevin Smith, Dr Medhat Atalla, Lorraine Butterfield, Susan Bishop and Tracy Robinson.

The garden was created following donations of more than £50,000 from local people and contains a specially commissioned sculpture made with hand moulds of caring colleagues who worked throughout the pandemic.

Since the garden’s creation, it has become a firm favourite with staff and is a hive of activity with events taking place within, as well as colleagues simply taking a few moments for a break or a bite to eat.

Similarly, the garden has been a hit with wildlife or all shapes and sizes, and is a sanctuary for the local bee population, who, alongside our Trust gardeners, have been hard at work since its creation to help pollinate the area and ensure it is as lush and vibrant as it can be.