THE turf has been cut on a new pathway and quiet area by Great Western Hospital’s lake.

The £5,000 development, funded by Wiltshire’s Mark Masons – a faction of the freemasons – is designed to provide a calming space for those who have lost someone at the hospital or who have received bad news.

It replaces the former garden which lay where the Brunel Treatment Centre now stands.

“It is desperately important there is a place like this at a hospital,” said Bruce Laurie, the chairman of Great Western Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

“We like to think we are a caring hospital and part of our duty to out staff and patients is to provide somewhere away from the main building where they can come for quiet contemplation.

“A lot of people receive bad news at a hospital and carers can often face difficult times here. They often feel they need a break away from the hospital but don’t want to go too far.

“This space provides the perfect buffer.”

Michael Meade, the provisional grand master for the Mark Masons of Wiltshire, said the money was going to a worthy cause.

“We do a lot of work supporting our own brethren and people in our communities and a project like this can be of great benefit to many people who visit the hospital,” he said.

“We are pleased to be able to help.”