An appeal to raise £675,000 for a new garden at the Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen is well underway.

The stunning Horatio’s Garden was announced in May and will offer a sanctuary for patients with spinal cord injuries who receive treatment at the Midlands Centre for Spinal Injuries.

So far £126,000 has been raised and it is hoped the remainder can be sought over the year so work can begin in autumn 2018.

Sir Roy Strong, former director of the National Portrait Gallery and Victoria & Albert Museum and renowned broadcaster, is the appeal patron.

He said: “This is a brilliant, beautiful project for a brilliant, beautiful charity. Such a garden lifts the spirits away from what must inevitably be a functional building for the care of patients.”

The hospital’s League of Friends are also heavily involved with part-funding the project, with Lady Trevor, vice chairman, adding: “This is an exciting project and it is one of the largest that we have been involved in. We are delighted to be making a significant contribution towards the scheme.”

The space will be created by leading garden designer and Gardeners’ Question Time panellist, Bunny Guinness.

The main garden will wrap the spinal unit so that all patients’ rooms will have a view of the garden. There will be a garden room ensuring the garden is used throughout the year, social spaces, garden therapy areas and even a screen for cinema evenings with a wood burning stove providing heat on cooler days.

Flowing water, private spaces and a woodland pathway will also contribute to an overall sense of calm and wellbeing.

The garden at the Orthopaedic will be just one of four across the UK, with the first opened at Salisbury Hospital in 2012.

Mr Joy Chowdhury, clinical lead for MCSI, said: “This is going to really make a difference to our patients. It will not only help them in their physical wellbeing, but more so with their psychological wellbeing.”

To donate visit https://mydonate.bt.com/events/oswestry/440532 or you can donate by post to 41a Vicarage Street, Warminster BA12 8JQ or over the phone using a credit card during office hours on 01722 326834.