A JAPANESE tea ceremony took place at Okehampton Community Hospital to mark the official launch of the Japanese healing garden at the hospital.
Traditional Japanese green tea was taken during the late afternoon ceremony. The healing garden is the first of its kind outside of Japan.
The garden is located next to the maternity unit at the hospital ? allowing new mums to bond with their babies in a peaceful green space.
Joining in the tea ceremony were Liz and Andy Watrous and baby Bo Olivia who was born at 5.30am the day before.
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Andy from Chagford, said he was very impressed with the healing garden, and had enjoyed being invited to join in the tea ceremony. ?It was nice, but I?m not sure I was holding the vessel in the right manner,? he said.
Dr Paul Nielson, who was instrumental in making provision for a healing garden at the new hospital, said the idea had been to create a centre for health in a building and landscape which promoted feelings of well-being within people.
?The idea is to provide integrated holistic healthcare, to treat people in a more broad-based way, using lots of touch therapy, for example.
?Architecture and landscape are very important in our lives. We are trying to create a beautiful landscape where people can live and work in, and which they can use as part of their healing,? he said.
Representatives from Okehampton?s churches, the hospital appeal committee and the Mid-Devon Primary Care Trust all attended to witness the traditional tea ceremony.
The garden features large patches of moss to symbolise the wilderness of Dartmoor and a stream and winding path converging to represent the two Ockment rivers.
The healing garden was created by a specially-trained team of Japanese gardeners, following the design set out by internationally renowned landscape gardener Mr Kasai, and was completed two months ago.
The project was made possible thanks to the backing of the Johrei Society, based in London and Kyoto, which promotes the concept of holistic healing using a combination of sensory therapy and Western medicine.