Thank You Garden Party held to mark contribution of NHS Fife staff during COVID pandemic

Back to list 08/09/2022

A ‘Thank You’ Garden Party was held on Saturday 03 September 2022 to mark and reflect on the amazing contribution and resilience shown by healthcare staff in Fife throughout the response to the global pandemic.

The event, which was organised following feedback from healthcare staff across Fife earlier this year, replaced the annual Staff Achievement Award which have been suspended for the last 2 years. Following an online survey of staff, the majority of respondents supported the proposal for NHS Fife to host a ‘Thank You’ event and with the opportunity to apply for free tickets via an open ballot.

The ‘Thank You’ Garden Party was held at no cost to NHS Fife, with funding for the event provided by the Fife Health Charity and with support from local suppliers. The event was held at the picturesque Backhouse Rossie Estate near Ladybank, with the venue offered to NHS Fife free-of-charge by owners Andrew and Caroline Thomson. Also offering their services as a ‘thank you’ were Stewart’s Drinks, which is based in Rosyth and who provided drinks, crockery and some of the waiting staff for the event.

To maximise the number of healthcare staff who could attend, the event was split into a morning and an afternoon session, with around 300 staff attending over the course of the day. Free coach travel was provided from both Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline.

Attendees were provided with afternoon tea within the Flower Barn at the venue and were invited to enjoy the beautiful walled garden inspired by science and art and the estates woodland walk.

For those staff unable to attend the Thank You Garden Party, The Fife Health Charity have also agreed to make funds available to support wards and departments who wish to hold smaller localised events.

Chair of the Fife Health Charity’s Board of Trustees, Rt Hon Tricia Marwick, said:

“Throughout the whole of the pandemic, the Fife Health Charity was worked hard to provide help and support for staff because we know the pressures they have been working under. We wanted to hold this event so that we could show our appreciation, and again say thank you to the staff for the constant dedication they show.

“It was great to be able to sit down and speak with staff, show that we are thinking about them and offer our continued support. It was nice hear back from staff that our support is appreciated.

“It was a really enjoyable day for all, and of course it would not have been possible without the assistance of the Backhouse Rossie Estate and Stewart’s Drinks, who sponsored the event as a means of saying their own thank you to healthcare staff in Fife.”

Caroline Thomson, who owns the Backhouse Rossie Estate with her husband Andrew, said of hosting the event:

“We were delighted to welcome NHS Fife as a big thank you for all their work, and we were honoured to offer our venue to them. We both come from medical parents and our son studied medicine in Edinburgh too, so we felt very aligned to this event.

“It was great to be able to say thank you to healthcare workers in Fife, and a pleasure to welcome all these wonderful people to our estate. We really enjoyed the day.”

[ENDS]