A new multi-faith prayer room has been opened at St Cross, offering patients and staff a space for moments of quiet contemplation and reflection.
The room, positioned alongside the Elizabeth Chapel, utilises an empty office area which has been repurposed and transformed to give people of all faiths the ability to celebrate their beliefs in the comfort of a light, airy and safe space.
Hospital Chaplain John Matipano said: “Having space and peace to reflect can help and support our patients when they are at their most vulnerable. We’d like to express our thanks to all concerned for making this possible.”
The opening of the room was attended by Hitesh Lad, of the Selfless Efforts for Welfare of All (SEWA) Group, which decorated the space, as well as Willy Goldschmidt and Ramesh Srivastava of the Friends of St Cross, which donated the flooring and the materials for decorating the room and a corridor in the Octapus Centre.
Hitesh said: “This is the third year that members of the Shree Kalyan Mandal Hindu Temple in Rugby have marked SEWA Day by undertaking some re-decoration at the Hospital of St Cross.
“It was great to have the opportunity to work with the Friends of St Cross on a project that benefits both the hospital and our community.”
Also in attendance were Mohanbhai Patel, President of the Shree Kalyan Mandal, and Ken Ellis and Alan Jackson from Vinci, which has undertaken the required work.
Janine Beddow, Site Manager at the Hospital of St Cross, said: “We are very proud to be able to make this idea a reality and we invite all patients to use the centre when they need to reflect.
“This project has been made possible through the generosity of the Rugby community who have contributed their time and resources to bring it to life. We are very thankful for the incredible support provided to help transform the space.”
New carpet tiles for the room were kindly supplied and fitted by Cut Price Carpets, of Railway Terrace, Rugby at cost price.
Photos by Jamie Gray
Outside the Elizabeth Chapel L-R: Ramesh Srivastava - Friends Trustee, Janine Beddow - Site Manager for the Hospital of St Cross, Willy Goldschmidt - Chairman of the Friends of St Cross, John Matipano - UHCW Chaplain, Mohanbhai Patel - President of Shree Kalyan Mandal Hindu Temple, Hitesh Lad - SEWA Team Leader, Alan Jackson – Vinci Facilities Estate Officer and Ken Ellis - Vinci Facilities Manager.