A CHARITY based in Salisbury is creating its first show garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2023.
Horatio’s Garden, which develops accessible gardens in NHS spinal injury centres, is designing a Main Avenue garden for the famous flower show to share the transformative effect having access to nature can have for people dealing with a traumatic spinal injury.
Horatio’s Garden South West, designed by Cleve West, was the first garden opened by the charity in 2012 at the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre in Salisbury District Hospital.
The show garden will be designed by Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg from Harris Bugg Studio and sponsored by Project Giving Back, with the requirements of people with mobility needs at the core.
The aim is to create a beautiful, immersive and restorative haven that contrasts with the busy, clinical hospital environment.
READ MORE: RHS Chelsea Flower Show donation to Horatio's Garden in Salisbury
Landscape designer Hugo said: “Our driving force is connecting people with nature. From the outset we wanted this process of designing for Horatio’s Garden to be collaborative - our role was to listen to everyone in the Horatio’s Garden family. Those voices and needs are reflected in our Chelsea show garden and have helped us to create a place where people feel safe, nurtured and restored by all the benefits of being in nature.”
Charlotte added: “The mission of Horatio’s Garden really spoke to us - gardens as restorative, life-changing havens being the core purpose of the charity’s work.
"Everyone has the right to experience the benefits of nature and green space. Our design is about showing how meaningful, high-quality design can improve the lives of everyone in society and we want to show that functional and practical spaces do not need to compromise in terms of their beauty and aesthetics.”
The show garden will incorporate influences from the Sheffield region, ahead of the opening of a permanent garden at the Princess Royal Spinal Injuries Centre in 2024. Also designed by Harris Bugg Studio, Horatio’s Garden Sheffield will be the eighth Horatio’s Garden. The garden is hoped to benefit thousands of patients, relatives and NHS staff from the West Midlands to East Anglia.
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The charity has launched a fundraising appeal, with the new garden relying on donations to fulfil its target.
Founder Olivia Chapple said: “We are thrilled to be announcing our eighth garden is coming to Sheffield in 2024, where we know it will transform the lives of thousands of people. What better way of heralding this than showcasing the design at the world-renowned RHS Chelsea Flower Show where Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg’s brilliant design will enable to us to share the important message that great design benefits the lives of everyone.”
To follow the charity’s journey to RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023 go to horatiosgarden.org.uk/horatios-garden-on-main-avenue-at-rhs-chelsea-flower-show-2023/.
And to donate go to horatiosgarden.org.uk/the-gardens/horatios-garden-sheffield/.
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