People waking up to the Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Shropshire this morning will have had the treat of hearing our very own Head Gardener, Imogen Jackson, chatting all about the charity and her first time at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show!
To listen again on BBC Sounds, please click here
You’ll find Imogen’s interview at 2:46:00 – 2:51:45
Throughout the week the BBC team have been getting to know people from Shropshire who are involved and exhibiting at the Show, which is why they decided to get in touch with Imogen this morning.
Usually Imogen can be found nurturing Horatio’s Garden Midlands in Oswestry with a brilliant team of volunteers, but today and tomorrow she’s taking a little time away from the beloved garden to join her fellow Head Gardeners on our tradestand at Chelsea. Together the team will be spending Friday introducing Horatio’s Garden to lots of flower show visitors, whilst today they’ll finally be meeting in person in Horatio’s Garden London & South East!
Live en route to London, Imogen talked more about the story of the charity and why what we do is so important to people affected by spinal cord injury, many of whom spend upwards of 2 months in NHS spinal injury centres across the UK.
The discussion then moved on to our horticultural haven in the Midlands in particular, with the team sharing that the garden was designed by Bunny Guinness, before they thoughtfully asked Imogen about the impact the sanctuary has on patients. As Imogen says, people often burst into tears when they first enter the garden, with many returning every day to enjoy a sense of normality and to connect with nature at an extraordinarily difficult time.
To listen again on BBC Sounds, please click here
You’ll find Imogen’s interview at 2:46:00 – 2:51:45
With the Show being cancelled last year, the BBC Shropshire presenters were excited to hear that Imogen was finally going to get to go to RHS Chelsea, which prompted her to confess just how much she was looking forward to seeing all that the Show has to offer. She mentions that she’s particularly interested in the balcony gardens, which will undoubtedly give her many more innovative ideas to embrace both personally and with patients in their horticultural therapy sessions.
For Imogen, working outside and in a role that enables her to make gardening accessible is “amazing” and “often very moving to see” and as her brilliant interview came to a close, she encouraged local people to experience it all for themselves by becoming volunteers, whilst simultaneously inspiring those further afield to simply go online to discover more about the charity.
To listen again on BBC Sounds, please click here
You’ll find Imogen’s interview at 2:46:00 – 2:51:45
We’re so grateful to the BBC Radio Shropshire team for featuring us in their RHS Chelsea coverage and all say a big ‘bravo’ to Imogen for giving listeners a wonderful insight into the world of Horatio’s Garden.
