Ashley ran to meet Naomi and Rachel at St Matthew's Church for another session helping to improve their garden of rest.

Ashley tackled some low hanging branches whilst Naomi and Rachel cleared a grave and weeds that surrounded it - only after refreshments had been provided for tea drinkers of the group by David the church warden.

David wanted the group to pay particular attention during the session to clearing the grave of Francis Boott - an American physician and botanist who was a resident of Great Britain from 1820 until his death in 1863.

Boott’s grave is significant as he’s remembered as a pioneer of using ether anaesthetics in England. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he went to Harvard College and moved to Derby aged 19. Following some years training as a merchant and heading back to America for family reasons and some botanical expeditions, Boott settled on studying medicine in 1820 and moved to London where he was tutored by Dr. John Armstrong. Gaining a doctor’s degree in Edinburgh in 1824 allowed Boott to return to London and set up his practice in 1825 where he remained until 1832.

Boott was especially noted for; “his treatment of fevers, in which he followed the practice of giving abundance of air to the patient, a course which at that time was vehemently objected to by the profession at large.”

The first use of ether as an anaesthetic in Britain (for a dental procedure) was in Boott's house at 24 Gower Street on 19 December 1846. This is commemorated by a plaque on the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine which now stands on the site.

Unfortunately, the immediate cause of Boott’s death was disease of the right lung, induced by pneumonia and he died at his home in London on 25th December 1863. Find out more about Boott's life

It was great to see what a difference the group could make to this grave and the garden surrounding it.

GoodGym Derby volunteers are next at St Matthew's Church on Saturday 20th August - sign up here to get involved.

Thanks to everyone for coming along to improve this section of the church's garden.