Having supported Horatio’s Garden Wales since we first broke ground there, we are thrilled to welcome Hugh James on board as our newest partner.
Every year our garden in Cardiff supports up to 1,000 people living with a spinal injury from across Wales and the South West of England. Thanks to our newest Regional Partner, Hugh James, we will be able to offer our beneficiaries from across the country more support than ever before.
The team at Hugh James have been offering Horatio’s Garden their support long before our Wales garden opened, and their support raising funds and awareness, along with their time spent volunteering, was crucial to getting the garden open and ready to welcome patients.
To date, the Hugh James team have sponsored a tea party to mark the opening of Horatio’s Garden Wales, they have run a virtual edition of the Cardiff Half Marathon, they held an open garden event at Llanover Garden, and have hosted dozens of their own fundraising events, including a very festive Christmas quiz. However, their most impressive challenge was taking on an endurance running event during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2021; eight of their team running, jogging, and walking almost 3000km over a four-month period. The team raised a phenomenal £3,000 in the process, with every penny going towards the cost of opening and maintaining Horatio’s Garden Wales.
The amazing Hugh James team who ran almost 300km and raised over £3,000 towards the cost of opening Horatio’s Garden Wales
Since the garden opened, a team of 12 people from across the company have been volunteering on a weekly basis to support our Head Gardener, Owen Griffiths, and the fantastic Horatio’s Garden Wales team. The effort and commitment of all Hugh James’ staff has been instrumental in helping the garden to grow and flourish into the haven for patients that it is now.
No matter the weather – wind, rain, or heat waves – the catastrophic injury team at Hugh James, led by Cari Sowden-Taylor, have been going into the garden to prune bushes, powerwash the resin floors, tidy up the garden room, and ensure that patients are never without a hot drink or cake, which we are hugely grateful to them for.
Cari Sowden-Taylor, Partner at Hugh James, had the following to say about becoming our regional partner for Horatio’s Garden Wales:
Cari with our Head Gardener, Owen Griffiths, on one of her regular volunteering days in the garden
“We are extremely proud of our regional partnership with Horatio’s Garden, and therefore delighted to extend what has been a fantastic four-year partnership supporting their vital work for those adjusting to life after spinal injury. Seeing the new garden in Wales being launched this summer was truly magical, especially after all the challenges that came with the Covid-19 pandemic. Witnessing the joy that the garden brings to spinal cord injured patients and their families is very special and is a privilege shared throughout the Neurolaw team, with more fundraising and weekly volunteering sessions planned for 2023.”
It is sometimes the little touches and home comforts that people appreciate most whilst rehabilitating from their injuries and using our gardens. As expert solicitors who have worked with hundreds of clients with spinal injuries, the Hugh James team know and appreciate the importance of that and they have been helping to ensure that patients in the Wales garden feel right at home since the first day we opened the gardens to patients and families at the Welsh Spinal Cord Injury Centre in Cardiff.
Bethan Cummings, Director of Fundraising for Horatio’s Garden had the following to say about officially welcoming Hugh James on board as our partner:
“The whole team at Hugh James have always shown such belief in what we had
planned for Horatio’s Garden Wales and even in the early days, whilst we were still
designing and planning the garden, they were always right behind us offering their support.
Over the years the team have done so much to support us that we really cannot thank them enough.
They have been instrumental in helping us raise awareness about the project and have been involved in our Wales fundraising committee from the outset. They were the first in line to help with the planting of the garden and it’s fair to say that their thoughtfulness is part of the garden in everything we do there.
Thank you for everything you have done for us”.
It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to work closely with the whole Hugh Hames team through this partnership, and together we hope to accomplish even more in the garden to support people adjusting to life after spinal injury.
We want to say a huge thank you again to the whole Hugh James team, from everyone at Horatio’s Garden, and on behalf of the thousands of people with spinal injuries that you have helped over the years. We are delighted to be continuing our relationship and are excited about what the future holds for us as partners.
