Horatio’s Garden Wales is officially open! We are absolutely delighted to share that our sixth stunning sanctuary is now warmly welcoming patients, their loved ones and NHS staff spending time in The Welsh Spinal Cord Injury and Neuro Rehabilitation Centre at University Hospital Llandough in Cardiff. With the long-awaited day finally upon us, it was a real joy to Read the Rest...
Grey skies and a spot of rain didn’t stop anyone from raising a glass to the opening of Horatio’s Garden Wales, with a wonderful crowd gathering for an Afternoon Tea at the gorgeous Miskin Manor to mark the occasion. The fundraising event was organised by our brilliant Wales Fundraising Group, who not only ensured everything looked lovely, but also Read the Rest...
Today marks Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day and although the day is always in our annual calendar, this year has been particularly special. Thanks to a bright idea from the team at Back Up, we’ve been working with seven different fantastic spinal cord injury charities over the past few weeks in order to make Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day 2022 Read the Rest...
We were absolutely delighted to be joined by so many people at Larchfield Estate yesterday evening for the official launch of the fundraising appeal for our seventh project, Horatio’s Garden Northern Ireland! With the event attended by over 250 people, the occasion was a wonderful way to meet lots of new supporters, all of whom were incredibly engaged with the Read the Rest...
It was an absolute joy to welcome acclaimed garden designer and BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Arit Anderson to Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville and we had a gorgeous spring day for it too! Both Arit and our Founder & Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, had long been hoping to meet and were thrilled when the day finally arrived. The Read the Rest...
It’s always a delight to see new artwork appearing in the gardens and Rob Mulholland’s stunning sculptures are certainly a welcome addition to Horatio’s Garden Scotland. As an acclaimed sculptor and environmental artist, Rob exhibits both in the UK and worldwide. His practise explores the complex relationship between humans and the natural world, utilising a wide variety of forms Read the Rest...
We’re absolutely delighted to announce that this year’s Spring Raffle has raised a phenomenal total of over £11,350! Lots of you have been busy buying your tickets ever since the online event’s launch on Monday 14th March and it’s been fantastic to watch an ever-increasing number of people not only gain the chance to win one of 60 incredible Read the Rest...
Unbelievably, Gardeners’ Question Time celebrated its 75th Anniversary on Friday and fantastically Head Gardener Ashley Edwards was part of the action, marking the occasion with host Kathy Clugston and fellow panelists Pippa Greenwood and James Wong! To catch up on BBC Sounds, please click here Despite being the newest team member, Ashley sounded right at home alongside seasoned Gardeners Question Read the Rest...
As promised, BBC Radio Shropshire invited Head Gardener Alex back to appear on the airwaves of the Jim Hawkins show on Friday afternoon, with the two chatting their way through a brilliant segment which hopefully inspired gardeners throughout the county and beyond! To catch up on BBC Sounds, please click here You’ll find Jim and Alex’s chat approximately 2:07:30 into Read the Rest...
When we met Steven in Horatio’s Garden London and South East, he’d spent seven weeks at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore (RNOH) and six weeks in the acute ward at St George’s Hospital in Tooting prior to that. “The RNOH is about 40 miles from my home. My wife was just nine weeks along with our first child when Read the Rest...
Yasmin may only have been volunteering in Horatio’s Garden London & South East for a few months, but her wonderful, moving story begins back in 2018…. What made you think about giving your time to volunteering? I suffered a spinal injury in 2018 and was a patient at Stanmore for over four months. Back then, we had just tarmac area Read the Rest...
Back in March, The Organic Gardening podcast visited Head Gardener Ashley on a beautiful day in Horatio’s Garden London & South East, not only to discover more about the charity and how we garden the organic way, but also to treat listeners to a little audio tour of the sanctuary. To listen to The Organic Gardening podcast, please click here Read the Rest...
It’s always lovely to receive local support and in the past week we’ve received the wonderful news that B P Collins, a solicitors based in Buckinghamshire, have generously donated £2,500 to Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville through its Heart of Bucks’ stewardship fund. As a Times Top 200 Law Firm with over 50 years of experience, B P Collins is very Read the Rest...
The site of Horatio’s Garden Wales has been a hive of activity throughout the past few weeks, with volunteers, staff and builders alike all pulling together to bring our sixth project to life. As the construction team continued to work on various elements of the hard landscaping, a marvellous team of volunteers joined the garden’s designer, Sarah Price, alongside Head Read the Rest...
This past weekend, an already perfect spring day in Horatio’s Garden South West was made that little bit sweeter by a visit from Great British Bake Off’s very own Maggie the Seaside Baker! Swapping the famous tent for a stint in the sanctuary, Maggie joined patients in the garden and garden room, chatting and sharing her favourite stories from Read the Rest...
Meet Lauren. She regularly lends her time volunteering in Horatio’s Garden London & South East, supporting patients spending time in the sanctuary however she can. She’s previously taught English as a Foreign Language and has also been involved in company administration, whilst more recently she’s worked in Project Management for the British Council managing educational exchange programmes. As someone who’s Read the Rest...
Those of you who regularly tune in to BBC Gardeners’ Question Time will know that Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden London & South East, Ashley Edwards, has regularly appeared as part of the programme. However, last week marked his first stint as an official member of the panel! To catch up on BBC Sounds, please click here Appearing alongside Matt Read the Rest...
BBC Radio Shropshire have always been brilliant supporters of Horatio’s Garden Midlands and last Friday was no different, when Head Gardener Alex Law appeared on the airwaves for the first time! To catch up on BBC Sounds, please click here You’ll find Alex’s piece approximately 46 minutes into the programme Appearing on the Morning Show with Jim Hawkins, Alex shared Read the Rest...
The Spring 2022 issue of Bloom magazine is now available and we’re delighted to be appearing in its pages thanks to a thoughtful article entitled ‘Power to the Patients’. The piece focusses on Horatio’s Garden London & South East, as well as Maggie’s Southampton, and is all about gardens being places of recovery, particularly for people facing life-changing illness. Led Read the Rest...
On a cold and windswept February day, the author Robert Macfarlane sweeps into Horatio’s Garden London to host a creative writing workshop. Robert is no stranger to the hospital – murals inspired by the art and spells of his book, The Lost Words, co-created with Jackie Morris, adorn the corridors, wards and waiting areas of the building. With his mark Read the Rest...
Readers of The Telegraph may well have spotted us among the pages of the Gardening Section in Saturday 19th February’s edition thanks to Bunny Guinness mentioning Horatio’s Garden Midlands and our new Head Gardener, Alex Law, in her latest column. To read Bunny’s piece for The Telegraph online, please click here Please be aware that you will need to login Read the Rest...
Hamish Mackie is a world-renowned sculptor who’s spent a lifetime perfecting his craft. Having had the privilege of observing wildlife across the world firsthand, his stunning artworks are not merely photographic representations, but are his own passionate interpretations of the natural world. Each piece is utterly unique, which is why we were absolutely thrilled when Hamish generously agreed to loan Read the Rest...
Liam is one of our brilliant volunteers in Horatio’s Garden London & South East. He’s 33 and lives in Harrow, which fortunately isn’t too far from Stanmore, where the sanctuary sits at The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.“I’ve recently made a pretty big career change to become a Gardener. Before that I worked as a Project Manager, firstly in financial services, Read the Rest...
Alongside potter Alexandra Barto, also known as Clay by Design, we have two wonderful printmakers supporting Horatio’s Garden by taking part in the brilliant Great Charity Pot and Print Fair. Unknowingly, steadfast supporters Mark Lord (or Lino Lord to give him his printmaking name) and Angie Lewin both signed up to get involved in this fantastic fundraising event, which is Read the Rest...
Charlotte’s story begins in Costa Rica. At 36 years old, she’d previously studied law in France and the UK for nine years. Whilst she began work as a M&A Senior Paralegal, she decided to leave law before qualifying as a solicitor, instead pursuing a career as a Financial Crime Consultant investigating money laundering and terrorist financing in the UK and Read the Rest...
Last year, Alexandra Barto, founder of Clay by Design, generously took part in the very first Great Charity Pot Sale in order to help raise money for Horatio’s Garden. After the event caught the interest of amateur, professional and star potters alike, the online sale has grown to become The Great Charity Pot and Print Fair, with Alexandra getting involved Read the Rest...
Meet Des. He’s recently become a volunteer in Horatio’s Garden Midlands. Here, he’s pictured with Helen Silver, a hugely respected nurse at the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI) who retired in October 2020 and who was awarded a Nursing Silver Medal by Ruth May, England’s Chief Nursing Officer. Remarkably, she met and cared for Des when he was first injured Read the Rest...
January can often make many of us reluctant to venture outside, but Holly Crossley’s latest piece for Gardeningetc is more than enough to remind all of us about why it’s important to get outdoors regardless of the time of year. To read the full article, please click here We really appreciated Holly approaching us as she prepared her article, which Read the Rest...
Professional photographer Hilary Stock’s initial workshops came to an end in Horatio’s Garden South West just before Christmas, marking the culmination of an absolutely incredible few weeks in the sanctuary. Throughout the sessions held in the garden, lots of patients joined Hilary to take photos of a professional quality for the first time, whilst others rediscovered their long lost passion Read the Rest...
Bhupinder Sohanpal is a former lawyer, who following a stroke decided to reevaluate and change her life. She has since become the presenter of the RHS video series, Get Set Grow, is an RHS Volunteer Visitor Experience Guide at RHS Hilltop (Wisley Gardens) and is developing a new career as a garden writer specialising in wellbeing. To find out more Read the Rest...
Gardeners’ Question Time is back for 2022 and in his first appearance of the year, Head Gardener Ashley can be heard chatting with the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) first Therapeutic Gardener, Ozichi Brewster! To catch up on BBC Sounds, please click here You’ll find Ashley’s interview with Ozichi at approximately 11 minutes and 57 seconds Leading the conversation, Ashley was Read the Rest...
We were delighted to discover that Horatio’s Garden Midlands and former patient, Pip, have featured in the New Year issue of SHIRE magazine. Please click here to read the article on page 95 of this month’s SHIRE The team decided to get in touch following the broadcast of our BBC Lifeline Appeal last September, which featured three powerful stories, including Read the Rest...
Here’s a little something to say thank you for all your support throughout 2021. Our gardens have remained tranquil havens for people adjusting to life-changing injuries, whilst each one has also given patients, their loved ones and NHS staff a thriving community to rely on in an extraordinarily difficult time. As a way of showing how grateful we are for Read the Rest...
HRH Princess Eugenie of York celebrated the start of the festive season in style by helping Horatio’s Garden to raise over £24,000 at our second annual Christmas Carol Concert. The phenomenal total will mean the charity can continue supporting the physical and mental health of patients, their loved ones and NHS staff as they adjust to, or care for someone Read the Rest...
The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) hosted an Access All Areas: Inclusion & Diversity panel event on Thursday 2nd December. The 90-minute discussion was live-streamed and recorded in front of a small audience at The Auditorium, Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in London, meaning everyone could be part of the event by registering to watch for free via Zoom. The recording Read the Rest...
We’re absolutely thrilled to have learned that the National Garden Scheme has successfully raised and donated over £3 million to lots of UK charities this year, including Horatio’s Garden! Since 2015, the National Garden Scheme has been an enormously generous supporter of our projects, making significant contributions to the capital appeals of our Stoke Mandeville, Midlands, London & South East and Wales gardens. Across the three of these gardens that Read the Rest...
The St Thomas’s Church Annual Christmas Tree Festival is once again in full swing in Salisbury and our wonderful volunteers have generously spent time creating another festive masterpiece as part of over 90 creative entries submitted from across the city. Volunteers Sheila, Nicky and Wendy brought the Horatio’s Garden tree to life, with help from patients who have been embracing the season in our South West sanctuary. With every element naturally inspired Read the Rest...
We’re delighted to see that we have once again featured on the Hozelock blog, with Head Gardener Sallie Sillars penning the latest article. Hozelock have long been brilliant, continual supporters of Horatio’s Garden and in 2021 made us one of their chosen charities. Their kindness to us as an organisation is often reflected in their efforts to raise awareness of all that we do, whilst they Read the Rest...
The planting on-site at Horatio’s Garden Wales caught the attention of the team at ITV Wales at Six, with Kate Lewis visiting University Hospital Llandough in Cardiff to see how everyone was getting on, appeal patron and Wales Rugby legend Sir Gareth Edwards included! Following a lovely introduction from anchor Jonathan Hill, the piece opened with Amanda Harris, who seven years ago spent seven months in the Welsh Spinal Cord Read the Rest...
Jill Berelowitz, one of London’s most innovative sculptors known for her bronze, steel and optical resin works, has generously loaned her stunning sculpture ‘Emergence’, alongside a bronze casting of Shakespeare’s Desk & Chair created at the Morris Singer Foundry, to help support people affected by spinal injury spending time in Horatio’s Garden South West, located at Salisbury District Hospital. Both Read the Rest...
“Having spent a lifetime playing, watching and supporting rugby, I know having a Horatio’s Garden would have meant a lot to many friends who have experienced spinal injuries whilst playing the beloved game,” says Sir Gareth Edwards, who this week could be found enthusiastically joining in with the mammoth voluntary planting effort underway on the site of the soon-to-open Horatio’s Read the Rest...
Rory began his life in Dublin, Ireland. Coming to the UK aged 17, he studied for his degree in Hotel Management in London before returning to Ireland to work in many a hotel throughout his twenties. When his wanderlust could be contained no longer, Rory decided to embark upon a world tour to celebrate his 30th birthday, taking in the sights and sounds of Read the Rest...
If you’re someone who’s knowledgeable, kind, passionate and enthusiastic, you might just be the person we’re looking for to join our team as Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden Midlands, Oswestry. *** Job Description Horatio’s Garden, a national charity, creating and nurturing beautifully designed gardens in NHS spinal injury centres are seeking an enthusiastic, experienced head gardener for a high-profile role Read the Rest...
Whilst sustainability has always been at the heart of Horatio’s Garden, COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference held from 31st November – 12th November 2021, has inspired even more action in our garden in Glasgow, within the charity as a whole and in the world beyond. As Horatio’s Garden Scotland is situated in the city where COP26 was taking place, the sanctuary naturally became the charity’s COP26 focal point throughout Read the Rest...
We’re thrilled to once again by delivering self-care through plant care with Mind, Body & Soil, with our Plant Labels featuring in this November’s ‘Field to Fork’ box! Please click here to order and find out more Remember to use code HORATIO30 at checkout for 30% off your first box! Unlike anywhere else, Mind, Body & Soil deliver you a monthly mindful boost Read the Rest...
Christmas in the Barn with the Kinnairds made a triumphant return to The Larchfield Estate this November, with the annual and long-awaited festive fair successfully raising a phenomenal total of approximately £17,000 for Horatio’s Garden Northern Ireland! The team behind Christmas in the Barn generously made us the event’s chosen charity when they discovered that our next stunning sanctuary would be supporting people affected Read the Rest...
Our horticultural havens are always being developed and Horatio’s Garden Scotland has been the site of a major mini-project for the past few months. Wonderfully, the sanctuary is now home to a stunning new garden room! Back when internationally acclaimed garden designer and RHS judge, James Alexander-Sinclair, created the garden, which opened in 2016, there was limited land space. This meant it was Read the Rest...
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) delivers world-leading plant science, conservation and education programmes, with their mission being to ‘Explore, Conserve and Explain the World of Plants for a Better Future’. Their collection was established in 1670 and is one of the best of its kind in the world, featuring 13,500 plant species from 157 countries, with 60% of the plants from wild Read the Rest...
The TOAST Creative Residency is an annual event bringing together a community of creative individuals and this year Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden London & South East, Ashley Edwards, was invited to be part of the event. Taking place across three days from 21st – 23rd October, each day featured a programme of engaging talks, workshops and live demonstrations at the Crafts Council Gallery in Islington. Read the Rest...
Remarkably, three weeks have passed since Mark Warner became our latest artist in residence in Horatio’s Garden Midlands. During that time he’s not only unlocked many people’s creativity, he’s also painted some truly incredible pieces of his own. In his first week, Mark was joined by a small group of patients, whilst others stopped by with their visiting loved ones to chat with the gathered artists and see what they Read the Rest...
One of the many wonderful things about our artists in residence is that they not only give everyone spending time in the garden the opportunity to embrace their creativity, but also give all of us the chance to discover some truly fantastic artists. One person currently painting with Horatio’s Garden South West artist in residence, Katy McIntyre Brown, designer of Read the Rest...
Back in July it was revealed that Joe Swift, beloved presenter of BBC Gardeners’ World and multiple RHS Chelsea Gold Medal Winner, was a finalist in the Society of Garden Designers 2021 Awards. After months of anticipation, the winners were finally revealed on Friday 15th October at The Landmark Hotel in London and Joe was deservedly among them, winning the Healing, Learning or Community Landscapes & Gardens award for his stunning design Read the Rest...
“When I was in Stanmore last year the garden was still being completed, so it has been really lovely to see the finished product and be able to enjoy it.” Chloe is 30 years old. A teacher at a brilliant school called Jigsaw, which specialises in education for children with an autism spectrum disorder, Chloe was happily living her life in West Sussex. She loved Read the Rest...
Some of you will remember that not so long ago we were lucky enough to welcome Creative Writer Jayne Woodhouse for a residency in Horatio’s Garden South West. Over the weeks she spent in the garden, she got to know those spending time in the sanctuary well, inspiring many to give creative writing a go. Two people, John and Simon, Read the Rest...
After multiple postponements, last night our young supporters finally got to party at The Prince and it was most definitely worth the wait, with a phenomenal total of £40,000 successfully raised for the charity! Originally scheduled to take place in March 2020, our young committee have been organising the occasion for almost two years, patiently waiting for the moment when the next generation would able to safely come Read the Rest...
We’re looking for someone knowledgeable, passionate and kind to join our team as Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden South West, Salisbury. *** Job Description Horatio’s Garden, a national charity, creating and nurturing beautifully designed gardens in NHS’s spinal injury centres are seeking an enthusiastic, experienced head gardener for a high-profile role at Horatio’s Garden South-West in Salisbury designed by celebrated Read the Rest...
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DONATE Last week, Jack Folkestone achieved something beyond words. He completed the Marathon des Sables 2021, regarded worldwide as ‘the toughest footrace on earth’. Not only that, but he finished 32nd out of 753 competitors. He was the 6th British competitor to finish and 1st in his age group. Moreover, so far, including Gift Aid, he has raised £50,000 for Horatio’s Garden! PLEASE CLICK Read the Rest...
Yesterday marked the return of the Royal Parks Half Marathon and we were absolutely thrilled to hear that our three runners, Laura, Alex and Naomi all successfully completed the challenge! To donate to Laura & Alex’s JustGiving page, please click here To donate to Naomi’s JustGiving page, please click here With Laura, Alex and Naomi filling our charity places, it was wonderful Read the Rest...
We are so grateful to Sitting Spiritually, who have generously donated one of their stunning, handcrafted Tranquillity Oak garden benches to our horticultural haven in Scotland. The bench is already beloved by everyone spending time in the garden, including volunteer Karen, who Head Gardener Sallie snapped sitting upon it as she took a well-deserved break after a busy morning in the garden. Nestled near the sanctuary’s brand new garden Read the Rest...
We’re delighted to announce that Rigaud Paris has become the latest wonderful brand to generously support and partner the charity! To shop the full Rigaud scented candle collection, please click here Use code HORATIO at checkout to receive 10% off your order Every time you order using the code, Horatio’s Garden will receive 20% of the sale as a donation The Rigaud story began in 1852 Read the Rest...
The Virgin Money London Marathon made its grand return this past Sunday 3rd October and we were absolutely thrilled to have six runners, Ed, Kevin, Jemimah, Archer, Oliver and Jack filling our charity places, whilst fundraiser Shena generously used her own place to support us along with two other charities! With the event being cancelled as a result of Coronavirus last year, the race’s Read the Rest...
Put simply, our week at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show was simply brilliant from start to finish! Set-up began on the Thursday prior to the Show’s opening, with phenomenal volunteer Dee and the great team at Graphic Mill transforming our spot on Cross Way with a touch of the charity’s signature colours and charm. The following day, volunteer Dee Read the Rest...
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 Read the Rest...
In a week when medals are being presented to all kinds of gardens at RHS Chelsea, our Stoke Mandeville sanctuary is in the midst of its own celebration having been awarded a Gold Medal for Best Community Garden in Aylesbury! Head Gardener Amy Moffett and our brilliant volunteers were thrilled to hear the news, whilst everyone at the charity was equally delighted to see their talent and Read the Rest...
We were absolutely delighted when Bunny Guinness offered to design our RHS Chelsea Flower Show planters, all of which are full of beautiful blooms and have now been adorning our tradestand on Cross Way since Monday. Whilst Bunny has already done an enormous amount to support the charity, she has taken another step to help raise awareness of what we do by generously mentioning us as part of her Read the Rest...
It was lovely to welcome the team from BBC Radio Wiltshire to our RHS Chelsea Flower Show tradestand on Press Day yesterday, who were marking the eagerly anticipated return of the event by hearing from people usually based across the county. To listen again on BBC Sounds, please click here You’ll find the feature at 1:49:37 – 1:54:50 As part of the station’s afternoon programme, Read the Rest...
Horticulture Week are wonderful supporters of everything we do and it was an absolute pleasure for our Founder & Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, to appear on the latest edition of the site’s brilliant podcast! To listen to the episode, please click here Entitled ‘Harnessing the Therapeutic Potential of Gardens,’ Olivia chatted all about the charity to editor Matthew Appleby, who asked many Read the Rest...
In the month marking the long-awaited return of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and in the year when houseplants are appearing as a major part of the event, Head Gardener Ashley Edwards has returned to BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time to talk about how to care for yours this winter! To listen again on BBC Sounds, please click here You’ll find Ashley’s piece approximately 14 minutes and 45 Read the Rest...
After almost a year of preparation, we’re absolutely delighted to be able to share that Horatio’s Garden is the beneficiary charity of this month’s BBC Lifeline Appeal! Presented by our ambassador, Alan Titchmarsh MBE, the appeal brings Horatio’s Garden to life by telling the stories of three inspirational people, Scarlett, Craig and Pip. To watch and support our BBC Lifeline Read the Rest...
The last three weeks of Claire’s residency have seen her regularly working with two patients in particular, Caroline and Nawid, who have created some incredible pieces. Various people have also popped into the sessions to engage creatively whenever they could, including other patients, volunteers and NHS staff. Making mandalas has been the recurring theme over recent sessions, with Caroline dedicating her time to Read the Rest...
Picking up from where she left off, artist in residence Claire Waltier MacGillivray has had yet another brilliant week in Horatio’s Garden Midlands. She was once again joined by a small gathering of patients, with two people painting and others dropping by as and when they could. This week’s theme centred around mandalas, reflecting Claire’s promise to work with Nawid, who expressed an interest Read the Rest...
We’re delighted to have welcomed Rafiah and Mehrin to the team, who will be with the charity for six weeks as part of the University of Oxford Summer Internship Programme! The scheme provides access to hundreds of funded internship opportunities, offering young people the chance to explore the world of work in a variety of sectors. Supported by the brilliant Crankstart programme and Read the Rest...
The time has sadly come when we must say ‘goodbye’ to our Creative Writer in Residence, Jayne Woodhouse, with this week marking her final visit (for now!) to Horatio’s Garden South West. Whilst her residency might be coming to an end, one thing is certain; her creative legacy will most definitely endure in the garden and beyond. For two patients in particular, Jayne’s workshops have been Read the Rest...
It was an unusually quiet, yet tranquil, time in Horatio’s Garden Midlands for artist in residence Claire Waltier MacGillivray this week. With lots of people leaving the spinal centre of late, Claire spent much of her afternoon talking to those who were embracing the fresh air, whilst she also created colour reference charts for the watercolour paint sets in the haven. They’re now ready and waiting for people to Read the Rest...
Pip has a passion for life. Being someone willing to try almost anything, Pip has always made the most of every opportunity, discovering a whole host of joyful pursuits along the way. One fated day, Pip’s life changed. And yet, Pip’s passion for life remained. It was a horse riding accident that resulted in Pip becoming tetraplegic. Being part of an active family, Read the Rest...
Linzi Clark, a lovely volunteer in Horatio’s Garden London & South East, has very kindly shared her story with Hozelock this August, featuring as part of their guest blog. We’ve have a wonderful partnership with Hozelock and this year they generously selected us as one of their chosen charities for 2021. They’re incredibly supportive of Horatio’s Garden, doing a great deal to raise awareness of all that we Read the Rest...
If you’re looking for some top notch hints and tips to spruce your own garden this summer, Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden Midlands, Imogen Jackson, recently shared some of her wisdom with the brilliant Gardeningetc.com. The new website is the perfect place to start for anyone looking to create the perfect outdoor living experience, with thousands of design ideas, practical guides and expert advice to Read the Rest...
There was an exciting new addition to artist in residence Claire Waltier MacGillivray’s workshop in Horatio’s Garden Midlands this week, with the gathered creatives using vegan watercolours handmade by artist Katie Coates, creator of Campbella. Claire was as intrigued by the paints as her fellow artists, all of whom loved experimenting with this familiar-but-different material. To give an insight into how the paints look once Read the Rest...
Jayne Woodhouse has discovered some fantastic writers hidden in Horatio’s Garden South West during her residency and has loved every minute of collaborating with and chatting to those who have joined her in the garden. Whilst lots of people have engaged with her whenever she’s been quietly nestled amongst the planting or working in the garden room, one particular patient has sat alongside Read the Rest...
The past two weeks have seen the nation’s weather go from one extreme to the other, but that hasn’t stopped artist in residence Claire Waltier MacGillivray, nor the people she’s been working with, from taking note of the many wonderful things thriving in Horatio’s Garden Midlands. The intense heatwave sweeping the country meant that many people were out enjoying the best of the weather and whilst Claire Read the Rest...
We’re constantly amazed by the people we encounter in Horatio’s Garden and the many wonderful stories they generously share with us and all those who support the charity. One such person is Hans, who is currently spending time in Horatio’s Garden South West in Salisbury. He recently got chatting to Arts Programme Coordinator Intern, Evie Redwood, who was popping into the garden for one of her regular visits. Read the Rest...
We’re absolutely thrilled to share that Jonathan Race of Team Fischer’s Baslow has completed the London Landmarks Half Marathon in just 1 hour and 54 minutes, raising a fantastic fundraising total so far for the charity! To donate to the Team Fischer’s JustGiving page, please click here Despite covering great distances as Head Gardener of Fischer’s Baslow Hall in Derbyshire every Read the Rest...
Kate Graham is a friend of the Chapple family and was inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore to attempt her own fundraising endeavour in support of Horatio’s Garden. Please click here to donate to Kate’s JustGiving page The Captain Tom 100 Challenge began back in April, celebrating Captain Tom’s exceptional achievement and what would have been his 101st birthday. Seeing the nation coming together to remember all Read the Rest...
We’re excited to share that a very special edition of BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time aired on Friday 23rd July at 3pm, with the episode recorded live in Horatio’s Garden London & South East last week! To catch up on BBC Sounds, please click here Alternatively, please tune in to BBC Radio 4 on Sunday 25th July at 2pm to listen to the repeated programme. To find out more about Read the Rest...
We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that the Brighton Seagals Football Club have completed their Road to Tokyo challenge in support of Horatio’s Garden! The team, who play in the Sussex County Women and Girls Football League, have been raising awareness of the charity both at their matches and with their remarkable fundraising endeavour, which has raised a brilliant total. There’s still time Read the Rest...
Meet Scarlett Scarlett is an active 11-year-old sitting her SATs. She shares her south London home with her Mum and Dad, three sisters and one baby brother. Like many schoolgirls she loves singing, dancing and drama, but loathes spiders and wasps! She has a pet tortoise called Harry. All sounds very normal and all was very normal until one day Read the Rest...
Helen Baly is our new photographer in residence in Horatio’s Garden Midlands! She recently visited the sanctuary for the very first time, meeting her fellow artist in residence Claire Waltier MacGillivray, Head Gardener Imogen Jackson, the garden’s volunteers and a great gathering of patients and their loved ones. Describing her first session as ‘wonderful’ and sharing that she loved every minute of meeting and working Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden South West has now been hosting Jayne Woodhouse, our new Creative Writer in Residence, for a few weeks and people visiting the garden are becoming increasingly intrigued by what she’s up to. A small gathering periodically stopped to speak to Jayne during her most recent workshop, when she was only too happy to share more about her work and how they too Read the Rest...
Matt Writtle has once again returned to Horatio’s Garden London & South East and this time there were more people waiting to join him on his photographic exploration of the sanctuary. The small group gathered outside to chat with Matt and get to know him a little better, before they headed off to take their own photos and put his technical advice into practice. Two of those who joined have Read the Rest...
Artist in residence Claire Waltier MacGillivray is now very much a part of Horatio’s Garden Midlands, with word spreading far and wide about her weekly sessions in the garden. Whilst she was already personally aware of how much people were appreciating her artistic support, innovative ideas and wealth of watercolours, this week she was touched when both a doctor and a nurse took Read the Rest...
This week, Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden London & South East, Ashley Edwards, featured in a series of fantastic online conversations hosted by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN UK). Ashley appeared as part of the third thoughtful discussion, Connecting Communities, joining a brilliant panel that attracted over 130 live attendees. Together with ecologically focussed grower and star of Channel 4’s Read the Rest...
Mohammed’s life changed forever on an unexpectedly idyllic spring day. Tempted by the warm weather, he and a friend decided to make the most of the sunshine by spending the afternoon cycling. The temperature was pleasant. The breeze non-existent. In short, the two were pursuing their shared passion in perfect conditions. And then Mohammed saw something. He noticed a tree that was just beginning Read the Rest...
It’s been a pleasure to welcome Donna Brogan to Horatio’s Garden Scotland, who this week began working with us in her new role as a Work and Retrain as a Gardener Scheme (WRAGS) Trainee, an initiative run by the Women’s Farm and Garden Association (WFGA). Already we’ve seen that Donna will be a warm, welcoming and enthusiastic presence in the garden, Read the Rest...
Whilst he may have only been our Photographer in Residence in Horatio’s Garden London & South East for a few short weeks, already Matt Writtle has made an immensely positive contribution to our fifth horticultural haven. Throughout his residency, which will be taking place across six afternoons in the garden from Tuesday 22nd June – Tuesday 17th August (excluding 27th July and 3rd August), Matt will be Read the Rest...
Some of you will remember the brilliant Hugh James Neurolaw Team from last year, when they embarked upon a lockdown charity challenge that involved running a total of 2,800km and phenomenally raised over £2,000 in aid of Horatio’s Garden Wales. Now, the team are back and they once again need your support! Please click here to donate The team were planning to take on Read the Rest...
The arrival of summer has led to a whole host of artistic individuals joining us in the garden for a variety of residencies, including Jayne Woodhouse, who’s become our very first Creative Writer in Residence in Horatio’s Garden South West! Jayne recently began visiting the garden and will be encouraging patients to join her amongst the planting every Monday afternoon from 2pm – 3pm until Monday Read the Rest...
Having spent six days in Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville, artist and dedicated charity supporter Miranda Creswell has been reflecting on her time in the garden, describing her residency as “totally inspiring”. She shared that “it was a very special two weeks” and that she “heard nothing but high praise for the garden and the staff and volunteers.” To discover more Read the Rest...
Claire’s latest visit to Horatio’s Garden Midlands was particularly nice and rewarding, as the patients joining her are now not only familiar with her friendly company, but have also evidently embraced their newfound artistic skills to a point where their works are taking on a unique quality. Despite only two people having the time to paint this week, plenty of others popped by and Read the Rest...
Today marks NHS, Social Care & Frontline Workers’ Day, the first event of its kind dedicated to showing our collective gratitude to all NHS and frontline staff who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to protect us and keep our essential services running, as well as a day to remember all those who have lost their lives from Coronavirus. The Read the Rest...
We were absolutely delighted to today discover that Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville has been shortlisted as a Main Categories Finalist in The Society of Garden Designers (SGD) Awards 2021! The SGD is the only professional association for garden designers, with its many national and international Members representing the very best of the industry. It was established by a group of eminent landscape designers in Read the Rest...
“If I could wave a magic wand, I would find a way of treating all patients, spinal and otherwise, who did not receive as much treatment for their spinal and orthopaedic injuries as they should have done during the pandemic.” Michelle Conlon has worked as an NHS nurse at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) in Stanmore for almost 25 Read the Rest...
Becoming a Friend of Horatio’s Garden is a wonderfully generous way to support the charity, which is why we’re dedicating the month of July to celebrating each and every one of our regular givers with the very first Horatio’s Garden Friends Awareness Month. Please click here to discover more about becoming a Friend of Horatio’s Garden Recognising the incredible contribution of our Friends is something that’s always been important to us Read the Rest...
Artist in residence Claire Waltier MacGillivray welcomed three people to paint with her in Horatio’s Garden Midlands this week, with the session focussing on transforming people’s artwork into greetings cards. The three men joining her were all enormously enthusiastic about their cards, which looked brilliant by the time the group had artfully passed the hours on a rather lovely, bright afternoon. They were intermittently joined by other Read the Rest...
“I thoroughly enjoyed this project. The garden is such a special place that brings joy to so many of us, patients and staff.” For the past month or so, one particular patient in Horatio’s Garden Midlands has been working on a wonderful film which captures the beauty of the plants and wildlife waiting to be found in the haven from the perspective of a wheelchair. She Read the Rest...
It’s always a pleasure to welcome our designers back to each of our gardens and this week we were delighted to see Tom Stuart-Smith making a triumphant return to Horatio’s Garden London & South East. Wandering through the sanctuary, Tom was thrilled to be able to quietly witness the garden being enjoyed by patients, families and NHS staff alike and was pleased too to discover just how well all Read the Rest...
The sun was shining this week as we were warmly welcomed to the Spinal Cord Injuries Unit (SCIU) at Musgrave Park Hospital in Belfast for the first Horatio’s Garden Northern Ireland Design Consultation Day! As some of you will know, earlier this year, we announced our plans to create the charity’s seventh stunning sanctuary, which we’ll be embarking on with the Read the Rest...
Miranda Creswell is a professional artist who has long supported Horatio’s Garden and has previously been an artist in residence in both our stunning sanctuaries in the South West and Scotland. More recently, she installed The Butterfly Table in Horatio’s Garden Scotland, her original artwork for The Ripple Effect in Horatio’s Garden South West, which is part of the University of Oxford Read the Rest...
Fabulous fundraiser Octavia Butler has completed her very first Half Ironman challenge in support of Horatio’s Garden this weekend, smashing her fundraising target of £3,500 to raise an immense total of over £4,300! To donate to Octavia’s JustGiving page, please click here Octavia announced she’d be taking on the gruelling event just eight weeks ago and since then support has flooded in Read the Rest...
Katie Coates is the latest artist to contribute to our Arty Afternoons series and is mesmerising everyone with Modern Calligraphy and the creation of her thoughtful vegan, cruelty-free watercolour paints, all made using natural and ethically sourced ingredients. To watch and be inspired, please click on the ‘Play’ button below Back in January 2017, Katie began ‘lettering’ when she found she needed a creative Read the Rest...
Students at Bishop Wordsworth’s School (BWS) in Salisbury have spent the spring and summer embarking on various fun adventures, which have successfully raised a fantastic total of £510 for Horatio’s Garden! James Oldham, Head of Outdoor Education at BWS, got in touch with us last year to tell us all about his plans for the BWS Adventure scheme. Since then, he’s Read the Rest...
Did you know that this summer you can raise vital funds to help us continue supporting everyone affected by spinal injury by simply shopping with AmazonSmile and Give As You Live? AmazonSmile Ordering with AmazonSmile is exactly the same as ordering with Amazon, only the best part is that every time you shop the company makes a 0.5% donation Read the Rest...
With Claire Waltier MacGillivray now very much a part of life in Horatio’s Garden Midlands, her afternoon as artist in residence was this week busier than ever! The gorgeous weather naturally encouraged people to spend time in the garden, which was where the small group of creatives could be found painting a variety of artworks using watercolours. Five pieces were Read the Rest...
Yesterday marked our first major in-person event since the beginning of the pandemic, with the Longford Castle Open Garden & Plant Sale proving to be a phenomenal success! Thanks to the charity’s extraordinarily generous Patron, the Countess of Radnor, and her family, we were able to welcome 500 people, including patients currently spending time in the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre at Salisbury District Read the Rest...
We’re thrilled to announce that Brilliant Little Brands (BLB) have become our latest partner, with the member brands generously donating 10% of every sale to Horatio’s Garden throughout June and July! To shop with Brilliant Little Brands in support of us, please click here With 1000s of inspiring gifts from a host of independent British brands, the online shop aims to be a win for charities, shoppers and Read the Rest...
We’re absolutely thrilled to share the news that the very first Horatio’s Garden Summer Art Auction has successfully raised £68,000 for the charity! Over 60 of the UK’s leading, emerging and rising artists supported the event, including Maggi Hambling, Sarah Maple, Tim Burton, Christabel Blackburn, Kate Malone, Rob and Nick Carter, Patrick Morales-Lee, Dawn Beckles, Keith Jansz, Hitomi Hosono, Sean Henry, Read the Rest...
Our NCVO Volunteers’ Week celebrations are continuing, this time as part of the Voluntary Services Team’s plans to mark the occasion at Salisbury District Hospital. As a ‘thank you’ to all the volunteers at the hospital, the organisation have put together a short series of talks, one of which will be by our very own Head Gardener, Stephen Hackett, on Monday 7th June. Read the Rest...
With an ever-increasing group of patients safely gathering in Horatio’s Garden Midlands to join artist in residence Claire Waltier MacGillivray, we’re thrilled to share that she’ll be extending her residency! Whilst she was initially due to join us for six weeks, Claire’s been enjoying her time in the garden immensely and patients have been equally enthusiastic about her presence amongst the planting too. Read the Rest...
The sun has finally started to shine after a long, cold and rather rainy May, perfectly coinciding with our plans to celebrate the Spring Bank Holiday! Despite ongoing restrictions in Stoke Mandeville and Scotland meaning the gardens’ plans to mark the weekend were a little more lowkey, this didn’t stop patients enjoying the long-awaited warmth. Lots of people ventured into the gardens, helping themselves to Read the Rest...
We had a rather exciting and successful day at the Oswestry Artisan Market thanks to the phenomenal efforts of Garden Administrator, Gemma Christie, and our team in Horatio’s Garden Midlands. Throughout the spring, a host of fantastic volunteers tended a plethora of plants so that we could be part of the ‘Garden Charities’ themed market. With their horticultural expertise to rely on, every last piece of foliage Read the Rest...
We’re celebrating Volunteers’ Week, an event run by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NVCO), to recognise and thank the millions of volunteers who generously give up their time to help others. The event runs from 1st – 7th June, with the theme being ‘A Time to Say Thanks’. As usual, the occasion is an opportunity to celebrate the millions of volunteers working throughout the UK and the essential contribution Read the Rest...
The sun has finally decided to shine and just in time for Claire Waltier MacGillivray’s third session as our artist in residence in Horatio’s Garden Midlands! Claire once again safely joined patients on Tuesday from 12pm – 5pm, setting up her artistic materials outside for the first time thanks to the warm weather. With all of her worksheets, colour charts and examples of her finished pieces arranged tastefully across the table, it wasn’t long before Read the Rest...
The June issue of Gardens Illustrated will be the publication’s special issue 300 centenary magazine and we’re delighted to share that Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden London & South East, Ashley Edwards, features inside the pages! Launching their first edition in April 1993, Gardens Illustrated has been combining heritage with expert insights and contemporary inspiration to bring you the best in design and horticulture for almost Read the Rest...
Despite the inclement weather, artist Claire Waltier MacGillivray’s residency in Horatio’s Garden Midlands has been going wonderfully, with her third session due to take place this Tuesday from 12pm – 5pm. Her second week as artist in residence brought the challenge of torrential rain, but whilst she was unable to sit outside to paint, Claire was still able to appreciate the garden in Read the Rest...
Today is Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day, an annual event run by the Spinal Injuries Association, Aspire, Back Up and Spinal Research that intends to raise awareness of spinal cord injury and highlight the challenges people with spinal cord injuries face every single day. This year, following the pandemic and a period of time when everyone’s world has changed irrevocably, the day is focussing on how people with spinal cord injuries Read the Rest...
Some of you will know of the ‘My Favourite Place’ feature in Garden News magazine and this week the contributor is none other than our very own Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden South West, Stephen Hackett. Having been interviewed by Naomi Slade a few weeks ago, the big reveal is that Stephen’s favourite place is Blickling Hall, a stunning estate in Norfolk now owned by the National Trust. As their website says, ‘nobody ever Read the Rest...
Patricia Samanta is taking us to her outdoor studio in this week’s Arty Afternoon, which is where she’s currently working on creating a portrait of her daughter walking in the garden alongside the family’s beloved dog. To watch and be inspired, please click on the ‘Play’ button below She shares that much of her painting is done from resource photos, which Read the Rest...
With Horatio’s Garden Wales at the Welsh Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Centre in University Hospital, Llandough due to open in the autumn of this year, we’re beginning our search for a new Head Gardener. If you think this could be the job for you, please read more below. You have until Friday 11th June to apply! *** Job Description We Read the Rest...
Gardening with the RHS is the UK’s number one gardening podcast and in this week’s ‘Gardening with a Conscience’ episode, listeners will have the opportunity to hear from our very own Founder & Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, alongside Mothin Ali, founder of the Dig It Out campaign which aims to tackle racism in the horticultural world. To listen to the episode, please click here or go to your Read the Rest...
Today is International Nurses Day, so in celebration of all the wonderful NHS nurses working in the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit, patients, volunteers and Head Gardener Sallie Sillars tasked themselves with creating traditional tussie-mussies in Horatio’s Garden Scotland. Tussie-mussies are essentially small posies of flowers, but the tussie-mussie term emerged in the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 – 1901) when the dainty bouquets Read the Rest...
Claire Waltier MacGillivray is bringing her signature calm and warmth back to our Arty Afternoons series this week with a lovely video focussing on using watercolours to capture the elegant beauty of Magnolia. To watch and be inspired, please click on the ‘Play’ button below Coincidentally, this week Claire will be beginning her artist’s residency in Horatio’s Garden Midlands, working with patients to gently encourage them to paint their Read the Rest...
Her Salisbury Story is a community project dedicated to celebrating Salisbury women of the past and present, with this week marking the release of their new interview with our Founder & Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple. To listen to Olivia’s interview, please click here Olivia was nominated to feature and contribute to the society’s archives, with the idea behind the collection being to Read the Rest...
Amanda Harris, who some of you may remember completed a 146-mile cycle challenge in support of Horatio’s Garden Wales last year, is once again going on an incredible fundraising journey. To donate to Amanda’s Horatio’s Garden Coastal Challenge page, please click here Since her spinal cord injury seven years ago, Amanda has thought almost every day about how easy it Read the Rest...
Our Founder & Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, is one of the contributors to the latest edition of Practising Connection – Public Health and The Surgery of the Future 4.0, which has been published by Jericho Chambers on behalf of Assura PLC. Please click here to read Olivia’s full piece (see pages 30-32) Practising Connection is dedicated to exploring radical alternatives to primary healthcare and Read the Rest...
We’re absolutely thrilled to share that this week we’re welcoming our very first artist in residence to Horatio’s Garden Midlands! With our plans for residencies disrupted by the Coronavirus pandemic throughout the past year, we’re incredibly excited by the prospect of soon seeing Claire Waltier MacGillivray safely popping into the garden. She will be beginning her residency on Wednesday 12th May and will be in the Read the Rest...
The buzz around Garden Day UK was fantastic this year, with plenty of people joining in online and The English Garden magazine sharing a little bit more about why Sunday 9th May was an important date that most certainly deserved to be in everyone’s calendar. Garden Day UK is simply about sitting back, donning a flower crown and spending time Read the Rest...
Today marks the start of the National Garden Scheme’s annual Gardens and Health Week, with this year’s theme being ‘Gardens are good for you’. It’s certainly a sentiment that we as a charity share and one which truly deserves to be promoted to as many people as possible. Every day, we have the privilege of hearing stories from each of our gardens attesting to the positive Read the Rest...
It’s been truly wonderful to see our gardens once again being used as a place to safely welcome patients’ loved ones, particularly over the past Bank Holiday weekend. With the sun shining for the most part, many families and friends enjoyed reuniting at a safe social distance, chatting for many hours and relishing the recent return of plenty of delicious homemade cake. Whilst the atmosphere in every Read the Rest...
We’re escaping to a world of vivacious vibrancy in this week’s Arty Afternoon with abstract artist Jane Wachman! To watch and be inspired, please click on the ‘Play’ button below Jane spends much of her time in Wimbledon Art Studios and thought it would be nice to share a little more about how she works in the bright and beautiful place where she works. With almost every square inch Read the Rest...
We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that the very first Horatio’s Garden Spring Raffle has raised over £20,000 for the charity! Many of you who bought tickets will know that yesterday marked the closing of our inaugural online raffle, whilst today’s draw marked the culmination of over a month’s worth of eager anticipation and excitement around the event. Since we launched on Monday 29th March, your enthusiasm for the Read the Rest...
If you’ve happened upon a copy of BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine this month then you may very well have encountered Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden London & South East, Ashley Edwards! Ashley is one of the magazine’s writers, alongside being one of our talented Head Gardeners, and this month he’s featuring alongside Emma Crawforth, David Hurrion and Humaira Ikram as part of the publication’s ‘Creative Containers Masterclass’. Read the Rest...
You may have seen that we recently launched our fantastic fundraising campaign, The Fabulous Summer Tea Party, for the third year running, which Founder & Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, was invited to share more about on BBC Radio Wiltshire. If you’d like to join in with the fun by hosting your own Fabulous Summer Tea Party this year, please click Read the Rest...
We were thrilled to discover that our very own Horatio’s Garden Scotland Head Gardener, Sallie Sillars, featured this week’s episode of The Scottish Garden Podcast! To listen, please click here or pop over to your podcast platform of choice Hosted by the wonderful Julianne Robertson, who herself is a writer, podcaster, PR professional and enthusiastic gardener, together she and Sallie indulged in half Read the Rest...
In this week’s Arty Afternoon, we’ve decided to venture outside to paint using watercolours ‘en plein air’ with artist Amanda Cooper! To watch and be inspired, please click on the ‘Play’ button below Painting ‘en plein air’ essentially means painting outside ‘in situ’ as Amanda puts it, thus you capture the magic of the scene you see before you in real time with Read the Rest...
Over 60 of the UK’s leading artists have donated works to be auctioned online from Saturday 15th – Sunday 30th May 2021 to raise vital funds for Horatio’s Garden, a charity that supports patients, their loved ones and NHS staff affected by spinal injury through creating and nurturing beautiful, accessible, therapeutic gardens in NHS spinal injury centres. There are five Read the Rest...
Artist Tamsin Loveday is returning to our Arty Afternoon gallery this week, not only to display her latest artistic endeavour, but also to inspire you to create your own uniquely personal collage postcards. To watch and follow along, please click on the ‘Play’ button below The simple, gentle activity is just one of Tamsin’s ways of encouraging people to reconnect with Read the Rest...
With the tulips bursting into life and Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville bathed in spring sunshine, designer Joe Swift and Founder & Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, truly picked the perfect day to visit the sanctuary! Having been unable to see the garden in person for so long in light of government restrictions, the day felt like a real event and presented a brilliant opportunity for Read the Rest...
This week we’re delighted to be welcoming Botanical Artist Sally Pond to our Arty Afternoon atelier, with her video studying a stunning Helenium. To watch and be inspired, please click on the ‘Play’ button below Despite not being filmed specifically for our creative series, the video exhibits Sally’s careful painting process, which we think you’ll find is a source of immense Read the Rest...
Some of you will remember Curtis Fraser, who generously shared his story with all of us back in February having discovered Horatio’s Garden London & South East soon into his stay at the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre (LSCIC). Now, we’re delighted to see that his tale is having an impact on a national scale, as this weekend he featured in Read the Rest...
With the first Narcissi starting to fade, Head Gardener Ashley thoughtfully decided to help everyone become a dab hand at deadheading in his latest BBC Radio 4 Gardeners’ Question Time segment. To listen again on BBC Sounds, please click here You’ll find Ashley’s piece approximately 13 minutes and 24 seconds into the recording. Fortunately, not every flower needs deadheading, but as Ashley will tell you, Read the Rest...
Despite there being a slight spring chill in the air, plenty of people ventured to Horatio’s Garden to celebrate the spirit of the season whilst basking in glorious sunshine this past Easter weekend. Each of our gardens across the UK enjoyed filling a few days with various culinary and horticultural indulgences, which naturally included lots of chocolate eggs, homemade cakes and a plethora of beautiful Read the Rest...
As another lovely long weekend came to a close, we were delighted to discover that there was one more treat awaiting everyone on Easter Monday, as Head Gardener Stephen Hackett featured in the bank holiday episode of Roots and All. Please click here to listen, or simply pop over to your podcast platform of choice The award-winning podcast features the world’s most expert guests covering all Read the Rest...
It was lovely to see Horatio’s Garden featured in the March edition of Articulate magazine, which goes to all staff members of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH), Stanmore. To read the full article on pages 26-27, please click here The article was all about introducing the wider hospital community to the impact our London & South East garden has had and the positive benefits enjoyed Read the Rest...
Following the success of The Charterhouse’s online ‘Flower Power’ festival last year, this April they’ll be hosting a one night only spin off they’re calling ‘Ask the Gardeners’. Our very Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden London & South East, Ashley Edwards, will be there, along with Kate Robinson, Head Gardener of The Charterhouse, Sarah Whiting of Nettlewood Flowers and Charlotte Muswell of Boma Garden Centre. From Read the Rest...
Award-winning garden designer and beloved presenter of BBC Gardeners’ World, Joe Swift, recently joined the Royal Windsor Rose & Horticultural Society (RWRHS) to give an online talk all about the creation and build of Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville. Describing the sanctuary as ‘the most important garden I’ve ever designed,’ Joe was only too happy to share the charity’s story with listeners, offering his personal insights into the innate connection Read the Rest...
Some of you will recognise the artist behind today’s Arty Afternoon video as Evie Redwood, our very own Arts Programme Coordinator! To watch and be inspired, please click on the ‘Play’ button below Evie joined Horatio’s Garden at the beginning of March, with her position funded by The Rank Foundation’s brilliant Time to Shine programme. Despite this only being her third week in her new role, already Evie has been busy Read the Rest...
This month marked our very first site visit of the year to Horatio’s Garden Wales! Together award-winning designer, Sarah Price, her colleague Emma, and Project Manager, Owen Hemmings of the Robert Lombardelli Partnership, went to safely visit the space at the Welsh Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Centre in University Hospital Llandough, which is being transformed into a horticultural haven as we speak. This is the fourth Read the Rest...
Saolta Arts and Galway are pleased to present The Deepest Shade of Green, an Arts and Health programme that’s part of Galway’s European Capital of Culture 2020 celebrations. To visit the Saolta Arts website and discover more about this thoughtful, inspirational exhibition, please click here Due to the outbreak of Coronavirus last year, the team made the decision to postpone the event and it will now be Read the Rest...
“I instantly knew I had hurt my neck. I feel lucky to be here.” In June 2020, Craig’s life changed. Following a car accident in his hometown in Ayrshire, he has spent over eight months away from home in the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit in Glasgow. It’s been during this time that we’ve come to know him well. Although Read the Rest...
Some of you may remember Miranda Creswell as a former artist in residence in both Horatio’s Garden South West and Horatio’s Garden Scotland. She’s been a brilliant supporter of the charity for many years and now she’s returning to bring an exciting new project to the heart of our garden in Salisbury. Last year, Miranda approached us about being part of The Ripple Effect, a public Read the Rest...
Reconnecting with the natural world is the theme of this week’s Arty Afternoon, with artist Clare Baskerville calmly and kindly sharing her creative approach to appreciating the simple things in life. To watch and be inspired, please click on the ‘Play’ button below Clare lives in Bournemouth, working sustainably as a visual artist to explore and promote reuniting ourselves with Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden Ambassador, award-winning journalist and author of The World I Fell Out Of, Melanie Reid, has today presented A Life Less Vertical on BBC Radio 4. To listen on BBC Sounds, please click here The programme hears Melanie reunite with some of her ward mates, who she came to be very close with during the year she spent in the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Read the Rest...
Akin to the weather over recent weeks, today’s Arty Afternoon has a decidedly spring-like feel to it, as artist Angela Corben is guiding us through how to paint a heavenly host of daffodils! To watch and follow along, please click on the ‘Play’ button below Acrylic paints are Angela’s material of choice, not only because they allow her to create particularly bright colours, but also because they’re wonderfully Read the Rest...
Head Gardener Imogen Jackson is this week’s guest on the PlantNetwork podcast, which talks to all kinds of horticulturalists about their gardens and careers! To listen, please click here PlantNetwork is a charity and membership organisation that provides training and network support to gardens and gardeners throughout Britain and Ireland, therefore Imogen was only too happy to share her story with listeners. With the lovely Read the Rest...
The arrival of March will hopefully mark the beginning of sustained weeks of warm, spring days, but as well as bringing spells of sunshine it’s also heralded the arrival of Trellis’ brand new seminar series! Trellis is Scotland’s network for therapeutic gardening and from 8th – 12th March they’re hosting an intriguing conference entitled Therapeutic Gardening: Learning from Around the Read the Rest...
The Convex Conversation is a weekly podcast series hosted by journalist and broadcaster, Helen Fospero. The episodes are an opportunity to listen to a wealth of inspirational life stories from a variety of people, including Susie Dent, Adil Ray OBE and Claire Lomas. With such an impressive list of former guests, we’re thrilled to share that our very own Founder & Read the Rest...
After a gruelling weekend, we’re saying a huge ‘congratulations’ to Charles Balcombe, who has spent the past 48 hours testing his endurance to the limit by successfully completing the ‘David Goggins 4x4x48’ Challenge! Please click here to donate Charles trained incredibly hard for many weeks in preparation for embarking on this mammoth task, which usually consists of running four miles, every four Read the Rest...
This March readers of The Lady will be able to discover more about Horatio’s Garden thanks to a thoughtful article penned by Ciar Byrne, which tells the story of the charity and how it has flourished throughout the past 10 years. As Ciar writes, creating and nurturing each of our beautiful gardens has been a constant learning curve. Nevertheless, every single one Read the Rest...
Karen Camkin is returning to our Arty Afternoons studio this week, bringing a touch of vibrance to everyone’s Wednesday by continuing the creative journey we began three weeks ago. To watch and follow along, please click on the ‘Play’ button below Having grown up in Warwickshire and Gloucestershire, Karen has spent a lifetime roaming the countryside, with her appreciation for wildlife and green spaces inspiring Read the Rest...
We were absolutely thrilled to be joined by 55 individuals, couples and families on Zoom last week for a fabulously fun evening of Winter Wine Tasting! The event was the first time the charity has ever hosted anything like this, and it was brilliant to see supporters both old and new in attendance. Everyone had the opportunity to discover more about various Read the Rest...
This February, the Chartered Institute of Horticulture (CIH) have resurrected their ever popular Spring Webinar Series, bringing you the latest research, developments and expert insights to celebrate the start of a new growing season. The event returned on Thursday 25th of February and we were absolutely delighted to see Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden Midlands, Imogen Jackson, appearing as part of the evening’s panel discussion about Social & Therapeutic Read the Rest...
We’re taking a look at sustainable textiles and natural dyeing in this week’s Arty Afternoon, which happen to be two of artist Harriet Bilton’s creative passions. To watch and be inspired, please click on the ‘Play’ button below Harriet lives and works in Salisbury and loves to experiment with mixed media, combining textile processes in her work. She has been an artist for 15 years and gained Read the Rest...
We’re excited to announce that work has begun on our brand new project, Horatio’s Garden Wales! Those of you following the project will know that our sixth stunning sanctuary will be situated at the brand new University Hospital Llandough, home to the Welsh Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Centre. The designs have been continually developed since 2019 by award-winning garden designer, Read the Rest...
With spring shoots starting to flourish in abundance, plenty of us will have had our eyes drawn to colourful swathes of aconites, crocuses, irises and of course, snowdrops. The iconic flower has long captured the imagination of award-winning garden designer, Tom Stuart-Smith, and in a wonderfully thoughtful gesture he this week generously gifted over 2,000 snowdrops to Horatio’s Garden London & South East. Having been grown in Tom’s private garden, The Barn, the plants Read the Rest...
We’ve made a virtual venture across the pond this month, which was all thanks to Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden Midlands, Imogen Jackson, giving an online talk to a gardening group based in the USA. It was a particularly exciting event for all of us, but particularly for Imogen, who has penned the short piece about her experience below to mark the occasion. Happy Read the Rest...
Meet Curtis. Curtis works in the construction industry. He arrived at the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre in September 2020, having been involved in an industrial accident which left him paralysed. Having long had a great interest in birds, it wasn’t long before he discovered Horatio’s Garden London & South East. Since then, he’s visited the sanctuary at least once a day. “It’s a nice Read the Rest...
Tamsin Loveday is lending her creative talents to our Arty Afternoons series this week, with a gorgeous video which guides you through how to make your very own Winter Garden Book. To watch and follow along, please click on the ‘Play’ button below As she shares in her recording, Tamsin likes to make art by any means necessary. She is primarily Read the Rest...
A little story to go with a thoughtful gift… Back in December, a patient spending time in the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry spotted some Kilner jars online that she knew would be just perfect for her friend. However, due to Coronavirus, delivery times were delayed and she knew they wouldn’t make it to her friend Read the Rest...
Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden London & South East, Ashley Edwards, has become something of a monthly regular on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time and his latest segment is just as encouraging as the rest. To listen again on BBC Sounds, please click here You’ll find Ashley’s piece approximately 27 minutes and 24 seconds into the recording. Alternatively, please tune into Read the Rest...
Our international reputation is growing and this week it’s thanks to photographer Nick Charlesworth, who’s written a lovely piece about his previous visit to Horatio’s Garden South West for the Fundación Inspira blog. To read the full article, please click here Fundación Inspira is a project in Chile that recovers places within hospitals and together with the local community transforms them into healing Read the Rest...
Yesterday we hosted our very first online webinar event, An Evening of Conversation with Horatio’s Garden, and were absolutely delighted to be joined by over 200 of our incredible supporters. Our invitees gathered on Zoom for an informative hour of uplifting and insightful stories, which were all about how Horatio’s Garden has been helping patients, their loved ones and NHS staff throughout the past year, whilst also revealing a little more about Read the Rest...
This week we’re experimenting with inks in our new Arty Afternoon video, thanks to a wonderful contribution by landscape and still life artist, Karen Camkin. To watch and follow along, please click on the ‘Play’ button below Having grown up in Warwickshire and Gloucestershire, Karen has spent a lifetime roaming the countryside, which is where her attachment to the natural world developed. Her appreciation for wildlife and green spaces has Read the Rest...
In a fortuitous meeting, Keith Jansz and Alan Titchmarsh were recently in conversation as part of the Mouth and Foot Painting (MFPA) Virtual Coffee Mornings series, which is where the two discovered that they share a mutual support for Horatio’s Garden. The MFPA is a partnership of disabled artists run by the artists themselves. Since Spring 2020, they’ve been working on their Virtual Coffee Morning project, which Read the Rest...
Remarkably, it’s already been a month since Amy Moffett joined the team as Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville and now she’s following in Horatio’s Garden Scotland designer James Alexander-Sinclair’s footsteps by appearing in Garden News magazine! The ‘My Favourite Place’ feature is always an interesting read and having trained at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, it’s the Palm House that holds a special place in Amy’s heart. Sharing stories Read the Rest...
This weekend we were absolutely delighted to see Horatio’s Garden appear in the pages of The Telegraph thanks to the wonderful Bunny Guinness. To read the feature, please click here (Please note that the piece is unfortunately behind the newspapers’ paywall) In her regular article for the newspaper, Bunny discusses all that she’s been busy taking care of in her garden throughout the past Read the Rest...
After a little festive winter’s break, the Horatio’s Garden Volunteer Poetry Group reconvened on Thursday for the first time this year! The group emerged in lockdown last year thanks to a group of volunteers from across our gardens who prior to the outbreak of Coronavirus had just begun hosting ‘Poetry & Patisseries’ workshops each week for patients, with the support of our Head Read the Rest...
Jane Fletcher, one of our wonderful volunteers, has been involved with Horatio’s Garden London & South East since August 2020. She helped to plant the 10,000 plants needed to get the garden started. Jane heard about the charity when Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville was featured on BBC Gardeners’ World in September 2019. Her father, Bill Fletcher, had been a patient at The London Spinal Cord Injury Centre in the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Read the Rest...
The end of January could only mean one thing and that was the return of the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch! The national nature survey took place across the weekend of Friday 29th January to Sunday 31st January and was simply about spending an hour outside with nature. All participants had to do to be involved was to count the birds seen in their gardens, or from their balconies, during the hour and then share what they found with the RSPB. The Big Garden Birdwatch Read the Rest...
We’re looking for someone to join our brilliant Horatio’s Garden South West team in Salisbury! If you’re interested in finding out a little more about the role and would like to apply, simply scroll down this page for all the relevant details. We look forward to hearing from you! *** Job Description We are seeking an enthusiastic part time administrator Read the Rest...
This week we’ve been incredibly lucky to receive three Arty Afternoons videos from 2D/3D artist Olivia Tuppen! To watch the short series, please click ‘Play’ below As an artist and crafter, she specialises in bringing animals and creatures to life, but is willing to try her hand at almost anything creative. Whilst she is fond of traditional mediums, including using acrylic paint, pencils and watercolours, Read the Rest...
We’re absolutely delighted to announce that our collaboration with Loungers Clothing, who created this gorgeous special edition design of their organic brushed cotton trousers in Horatio’s Gardens’ signature colours, has raised almost £1,000 for the charity! Please click here to shop Loungers are supremely soft and are both ethical and versatile. Their trousers are manufactured in Portugal and are not Read the Rest...
The RNOH Charity recently released their winter newsletter, which kindly features the opening of Horatio’s Garden London & South East, along with a reminder of supporter Max Reid’s incredible contribution to the project. Since suffering spinal malformations around twenty years ago, Max has frequently been treated at the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre in the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore. Consequently, he became passionate about Read the Rest...
Soundscapes for Wellbeing is a brand new BBC project which will run from Tuesday 25th January through until the end of February, simultaneously marking the launch of The Virtual Nature Experiment commissioned by both the BBC and University of Exeter. To find out more about Soundscapes for Wellbeing, or to take part in The Virtual Nature Experiment, please click here. Rebecca Sandiford, BBC Music Commissioning Executive, Read the Rest...
With the announcement that the RHS Chelsea Flower Show has been moved from May to September for the first time in the world famous event’s 108 year history, naturally the news made this morning’s BBC Radio Four Today programme, as did a mention of Horatio’s Garden! To hear the segment, catch up on BBC Sounds by clicking here and listen from 2:53:00 With Justin Webb hosting, the presenter Read the Rest...
Our Arty Afternoons series continues and this week we’ve been lucky enough to receive another video from abstract artist, Karen Welsh. To watch Karen’s new video, please click ‘Play’ below Whilst last week’s video concentrated on creating abstract squares, this week Karen’s been busy revealing how we can all use our imagination to capture the essence of blooming beauties at home. Read the Rest...
Last year we launched our Arty Afternoons series on YouTube to encourage people with spinal injuries, their loved ones and all of our supporters to while away a lockdown afternoon or two getting creative. To see the series, please click here A whole host of artists generously gave up their time to film short videos, which we then shared with all of you Read the Rest...
A new study reveals how the Covid-19 pandemic has confirmed the vital contribution of health charities to the NHS. It argues that strategic engagement with the charities by health policy makers has declined in recent years and that substantial benefits for the health service as a whole would come with a reaffirmation of this partnership. The report by Dr Tony Hockley from the LSE and Professor Alison Leary from Read the Rest...
Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden South West, Stephen Hackett, has written a wonderful article for the February issue of The English Garden magazine. The piece is part of a follow-up to Horatio’s Garden South West’s acknowledgment in the ‘Nation’s Favourite Garden’ competition, which took place in late 2019. The issue itself showcases all six winners, therefore this latest publication truly is full to the brim Read the Rest...
Following his December appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time programme, Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden London & South East, Ashley Edwards, has once again featured in today’s broadcast! To listen again on BBC Sounds, please click here You’ll find Ashley’s piece approximately 29 minutes into the recording. Whilst last time Ashley was sharing his advice on how to create your own naturally-inspired festive wreath Read the Rest...
Whilst our national reputation has been growing for a while, we’ve recently been delighted to have been given a few opportunities to plant some seeds about Horatio’s Garden among international audiences! Back in November, we were included in German magazine TASPO GARTEN DESIGN and now we’ve started the new year as we mean to go on by featuring in a Korean documentary promoting the importance of gardening for people Read the Rest...
We have an exciting new internship opportunity, which is being generously supported by The Rank Foundation! To discover more about whether this is the role for you and find out how to apply, please read the information below. Job Description Arts Programme Co-ordinator Internship Horatio’s Garden is an award winning, national charity creating and caring for beautiful gardens in NHS Read the Rest...
The beginning of 2021 marks a bit of a change to the team in Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville, as we warmly welcome new Head Gardener, Amalia Moffett, and new Garden Administrator, Debs Grigg. Amalia, known as Amy, is a Kew-trained horticulturalist with a fondness for all things bright and beautiful. She has 15 years of experience working in public gardens Read the Rest...
Texting to donate is one of the quickest, simplest ways to support Horatio’s Garden. Every penny of your generosity counts, helping us to improve the lives of everyone affected by spinal injury. There are two messages we can use when asking our supporters to text to donate. We usually use this one, which is for collecting donations only. This means that you will not receive any Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden charity is looking for an experienced Fundraising leader to cover this maternity period. To read the full job description, please click here We are a growing, award winning, national charity improving the lives of people with spinal injuries by creating and nurturing outstanding garden projects in NHS spinal injury centres. The Director of Fundraising & Communications was a Read the Rest...
True to Horatio’s Garden tradition, we’ve created this short video to wish all of our supporters a very Happy New Year. 2020 has been a year unlike any other and many of us, including everyone affected by spinal injury, have faced extraordinarily difficult times. However, your continued kindness and generosity has helped to ensure that Horatio’s Garden will always be Read the Rest...
This winter, we’re encouraging you to ease yourself into the New Year on a fun, positive note by joining in with our ‘Fill a Flower Pot’ fundraiser! It couldn’t be easier to get involved and everyone at home can take part. Simply see how quickly you can fill your flower pot with loose change, tip it out, count it up and donate your total by Read the Rest...
With building work on Horatio’s Garden Wales due to begin in the new year in the Welsh Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Centre at University Hospital Llandough in Cardiff, we’ve started thinking about the plants we’d like to see populating the garden. As designer Sarah Price is known for her artistic, naturalistic planting style, we recently paid a visit to New Wood Trees, who specialise in multi-stem boscage. Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden Scotland is taking centre stage in the winter issue of The Scottish Gardening Magazine. If you would like to read the full article, please click here The brand new title was established earlier this year and is dedicated to celebrating the diversity of Scotland’s gardening landscape. It incorporates an inspiring and informative mix of gardening, gardeners, gardens and growing taking place throughout Scotland in Read the Rest...
As the days grow shorter, making the most of our gardens and the natural abundance within them feels more worthwhile than ever. In that spirit, Head Gardener Ashley Edwards of Horatio’s Garden London & South East today appeared on BBC Radio 4’s beloved programme, BBC Gardeners’ Question Time, in order to lend listeners his top tips for making Christmas wreaths. To catch up on BBC Sounds, please Read the Rest...
We’re working with Don’t Send Me A Card, who have made it possible for you to turn the cost of your would-be Christmas cards into donations for Horatio’s Garden. The website invites supporters of all sorts of charities to send customised e-cards, with the idea being that the sender then donates the amount they would have spent on cards, envelopes Read the Rest...
You may rightly know of Cleve West, James Alexander-Sinclair and Joe Swift as three celebrated garden designers who have each created a Horatio’s Garden. However, they are also known by another name. Together, they make up the timeless trio that is Three Men Went to Mow. As luck would have it, today marks the exclusive world premiere of their latest Read the Rest...
The St Thomas’s Church Annual Christmas Tree Festival in Salisbury is a community event which celebrates Christmas with an array of uniquely decorated trees and traditional nativity scenes. The event has been a fixture in the local calendar for the past 15 years and although the trees won’t appear alongside each other at the Church this year, the same seasonal Read the Rest...
The Tree Council are running National Tree Week from Saturday 28th November to Sunday 6th December and we’re joining in! Working together for the love of trees is something The National Tree Council are passionate about. They’re committed to bringing people together at a national and local level in order to care for trees, in turn helping to look after Read the Rest...
This week we’ve been lucky enough to feature in three publications, with each highlighting a different aspect of our work. We were enormously excited to learn that the opening of our fifth project, Horatio’s Garden London & South East, has been included in this month’s issue of Which? Gardening magazine. The short piece appears in the early pages of the periodical, detailing some of the lesser-known facts about Read the Rest...
Ellie Cloute, a student at the University of Winchester studying Journalism, recently featured Horatio’s Garden in a report for Winol, the institution’s student newspaper. Having first met our Founder & Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, by chance at the photoshoot for our new partnership with Loungers, the two began talking and Ellie asked if she would be able to Read the Rest...
We’re absolutely delighted to be partnering POP Gardens, who have become the latest small business to generously support Horatio’s Garden. The innovative enterprise was established by Lynne Evans, who wanted to combine her expertise in Occupational Therapy with her passion for the practical benefits of gardening to support wellbeing and recovery. Her desire to do this led her to realising there was a gap in the Read the Rest...
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! November naturally means lots of us will have a spot of seasonal shopping to do, but thanks to The Good Web Guide your search for the perfects cards and gifts will hopefully be that little bit easier. The GWG team have put together a whole host of excellent Christmas recommendations and articles, ensuring you can treat all your loved ones this winter. Amongst them are Read the Rest...
We’ve been busy developing a brand new face mask which will soon be available on our Shop website to help you and your loved ones stay safe this winter and beyond. Our gorgeous mask has an outer organic cotton layer in a stylish print, designed exclusively for Horatio’s Garden by artist in residence, Katy McIntyre-Brown. The fabric design is based Read the Rest...
Whilst most of us have spent the past week sheltering from the wind and the rain, a brilliant host of Horatio’s Garden supporters have been busy braving the elements to complete the Virtual Vitality 10k! The event usually takes place in London, with runners taking to the streets en masse to appreciate the capital’s sights in the glorious May sunshine. However, this year the race Read the Rest...
Our very own Horatio’s Garden Scotland Head Gardener, Sallie Sillars, will be speaking as part of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture’s (CIH) Grow Careers Scotland Webinar Series this November! The series is running from Monday 16th November to Thursday 19th November, when the CIH will be joined from 1pm each day by a host of horticulturalists. The event will cover a variety of topical subjects and is aimed Read the Rest...
Originally released to press Friday 16th October The beloved children’s novel has been newly adapted by the producer of Harry Potter and Paddington, at a more apposite time that ever, starring Dixie Egerickx, Colin Firth and Julie Walters For months now, the great majority of us have been escaping to all manner of green spaces, ready and willing to be transported by the enchanting Read the Rest...
Avid listeners of Candide’s podcast, Fresh from the Pod, hosted by Tamsin Westhorpe, will have heard that today’s guest was none other than our Founder & Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple! To listen, please click here The podcast is all about Tamsin meeting and chatting about the gardening adventures of various inspirational people, with previous guests including Carol Klein, Read the Rest...
We recently had a far from average afternoon in Horatio’s Garden Scotland as work began on our beautiful new garden room! Designed by talented architect Andy Steel of DAS Design, the new garden room will offer a cosy, warm place for everyone to spend time in, whether that be quietly alone or with friends, family and colleagues. It’s currently being Read the Rest...
It’s competition time! From the producer of Harry Potter and Paddington comes a brand new adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s timeless classic, The Secret Garden. Watch the trailer below The new Sky Original film releases in cinemas and on Sky Cinema on Friday 23rd October and courtesy of Sky Cinema, we’ll be holding a special, day-of-release screening in Horatio’s Garden Read the Rest...
Thanks to many generous donations from a whole host of supporters, we’re thrilled to announce that we’re now in the final phase of fundraising for the capital appeal of our sixth project, Horatio’s Garden Wales! Having all recently turned to our gardens, outdoor spaces and nature to help us through the past few months, many people have come to appreciate Read the Rest...
Those of you who have read the new interview with our Founder & Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, in Gardens Illustrated may have seen that we have just started beginning to plan our seventh project, Horatio’s Garden Northern Ireland! One such reader was David Maxwell, the presenter of the much-loved Gardeners’ Corner programme on BBC Radio Ulster, who we were absolutely delighted to hear from following the article’s publication. David got in touch to tell us Read the Rest...
Gardens Illustrated have featured our Founder & Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, in their October issue in a moving interview thoughtfully written by Lia Leendertz. The piece features alongside a new portrait of Olivia, befittingly captured by Charlie Hopkinson in Horatio’s Garden South West in Salisbury, where the charity’s story began almost a decade ago. In the interview, Olivia traces her own love of the outdoors Read the Rest...
BBC Radio London are currently celebrating their 50th anniversary, so when Founder & Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, recently gave a live interview on the Robert Elms Show it truly felt like our new garden had become part of the capital’s ongoing story. If you would like to listen to the interview, please click here and go to 2:13:38 Robert asked plenty Read the Rest...
Head Gardener Stephen Hackett was recently invited by Wiltshire Life to write a feature for their November 2020 issue, which resulted in him penning a timely piece complete with beautiful autumnal photographs of Horatio’s Garden South West. The article spans three pages and thoughtfully begins by acknowledging the way in which Coronavirus and lockdown brought the importance and value of green spaces to the Read the Rest...
Sheila McCosh is part of our wonderful volunteer team in Horatio’s Garden Scotland. Throughout lockdown and the ongoing Coronavirus crisis, all our volunteers have been absolutely incredible, doing whatever they can to support the charity. Whilst some, like Sheila, have been tending to the gardens, others have been busy at home crafting and hosting Zoom sessions for patients, with some Read the Rest...
Those of you with keen memories may have noted that yesterday marked the first anniversary of the official opening of Horatio’s Garden Midlands in Oswestry! Please click on the relevant link to read more about Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville’s second birthday or Horatio’s Garden Scotland’s fourth birthday Patients and staff of the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI) gathered for a small celebration in Read the Rest...
From 17th – 27th September, the Chelsea History Festival will be hosting an immersive mixture of digital and physical events to celebrate various elements of the borough’s intriguing past. The Festival was co-founded by the National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Chelsea and Chelsea Psychic Garden, who are proud to host an annual programme of talks from world-class speakers, authors, thinkers and historians. Whilst the format Read the Rest...
We’re thrilled to announce that our 2020 Christmas Card has arrived! This year, our exclusive card has been designed by Vanessa Bowman, who is an acclaimed, Dorset-based, contemporary artist in oils. Please click here to shop to support As you can see, Vanessa’s beautiful paintings observe the simple beauty of the everyday surroundings of her native countryside, observing the pattern and texture of the natural Read the Rest...
The Charterhouse, which has been part of the nation’s history since 1348, recently hosted a uniquely brilliant new event this September known as Flower Power! Throughout lockdown, the Brothers living in the almshouse spent much of their time in The Charterhouse’s beautiful gardens, which prompted the team to organise an online celebration of the power of gardens and gardening to Read the Rest...
The Society of Garden Designers (SGD) have announced that the SGD Awards 2021 will be supporting Horatio’s Garden! The SGD is the only professional association for garden designers, with its many national and international Members representing the very best of the industry. Having been established by a group of eminent landscape designers in 1981, they have been championing excellence in garden design ever Read the Rest...
Head Gardener Imogen recently lent her expertise to The English Garden magazine, in a beautiful feature spanning four pages entitled ‘The Soul Garden’. As a specialist in therapeutic horticulture, Imogen is an expert in curating and growing plants to calming effect. In the piece, which featured stunning horticultural photography, Imogen enumerated her top ten plants to inspire readers to create a garden with long term Read the Rest...
We would like to say an enormous thank you to the League of Friends at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH), who recently donated £1,000 to Horatio’s Garden Midlands! The League of Friends have been fundraising locally throughout lockdown to support everyone at the hospital, with this donation to support Horatio’s Garden just one of the many Read the Rest...
Journalist Annabelle Padwick has kindly featured us in her recent article for Kitchen Garden Magazine celebrating every garden’s beneficial effects on our mental and physical wellbeing. The feature was highlighting a few of the many charities that are all doing fantastic work in harnessing the therapeutic power of gardens and gardening, including our own. Alongside Horatio’s Garden, the piece featured Thrive, Lindengate, Life at No. 27 and military rehabilitation charity, Highground. Each charity was Read the Rest...
Following the opening of Horatio’s Garden London & South East, journalist and charity ambassador Melanie Reid kindly featured our latest milestone in a thoughtful article for The Saturday Times Weekend. The piece opened with her own personal experience of her time in Scotland’s National Spinal Injuries Unit, where she spent over a year adjusting to her injuries. She describes the Read the Rest...
We have been absolutely delighted to be able to welcome patients and NHS staff to Horatio’s Garden London & South East for the very first time! Please click the ‘Play’ icon below to watch our new video celebrating the opening of our new garden Please click here to become a Friend of Horatio’s Garden London & South East Our Read the Rest...
It’s hard to believe that Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville has now been open for two years, but time has flown by and today does indeed mark the garden’s second birthday! To celebrate, Head Gardener Jacqui decided to do a special tour of the garden, which you can watch below. Please click on the relevant link to read more about Horatio’s Garden Scotland’s fourth birthday Read the Rest...
We had a surprise visit from ITV London on Friday 4th September, who kindly featured our brand new garden, Horatio’s Garden London & South East, in a live broadcast during their 6pm bulletin that very same evening! Both Founder & Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, and the garden’s designer, Tom Stuart-Smith, featured as part of the piece and were interviewed as they meandered through the garden. Olivia Read the Rest...
As if to prove that time really does fly when you’re having fun, Horatio’s Garden Scotland recently celebrated its fourth birthday! Please click on the relevant link to read more about Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville’s second birthday or Horatio’s Garden Midlands’ first birthday Together with Head Gardener Sallie, designer James Alexander-Sinclair, Trustee Catherine Burns and Fundraising Assistant Beth Keever, all visited the Read the Rest...
We’re absolutely delighted to announce that we’ve partnered with Mind, Body & Soil, a brilliant subscription service that’s part of the SmartPlant family! Please click here to find out more Remember to use code HORATIO for 30% off your first box! Unlike anywhere else, Mind, Body & Soil emphasise the importance of self-care through plant care by delivering a new Read the Rest...
Many of you will have been out in your gardens appreciating the fine summer weather this past month, as have plenty of patients, newly reunited families and NHS staff in each Horatio’s Garden across the country. Amidst all the present uncertainty, nature has remained a welcome constant throughout the past few months, helping to remind us that despite the challenges we face, Read the Rest...
A stunning late August morning in Horatio’s Garden South West, Salisbury, was made just perfect thanks to a generous donation from McCarthy & Stone. As the UK’s leading developer and manager of retirement communities, the company have recently been working in Salisbury and became aware of the charity’s roots in the city. Consequently, they kindly got in touch to help Read the Rest...
As unbelievable as it may seem, Horatio’s Garden Midlands has now been flourishing in Oswestry for a whole year, so in celebration we thought we’d take a look back at a few of our fourth garden’s highlights over the past 12 months. When the garden first welcomed patients and NHS staff in late August it became immediately clear that it Read the Rest...
We’ve been supported by some incredible people and businesses throughout the Coronavirus pandemic so far, so to thank them for their generous support we’ve written a little bit about each of them below. Please click here to Shop * Boujee Beads New jewellery start-up, Boujee Beads, has pledged to donate 10% of all sales to Horatio’s Garden for the foreseeable Read the Rest...
Over the course of last weekend a few fantastic fundraisers took part in the at-home My Prudential Ride event, which replaced this year’s Prudential RideLondon-Surrey cycle. Richard and Charlotte Weight were originally planning on taking part in the mass London cycle, opting to take on the 100-mile challenge in support of Horatio’s Garden. Although they couldn’t cycle the iconic streets Read the Rest...
This week our fifth garden at the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre in the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore has been a hive of activity as we’ve begun filling the flower beds with all manner of greenery. A fantastic team of volunteers have been working tirelessly to plant up the garden, which was a meticulously organised process, alongside Head Gardener Read the Rest...
We’re thrilled to welcome Ashley Edwards to the Horatio’s Garden team, who has recently become the Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden London & South East! Ashley will be responsible for nurturing our fifth garden at the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre, with the support of our brand new London volunteer team. He will also be there to welcome and support patients, loved ones and NHS staff visiting the garden, Read the Rest...
Following the incredible support we’ve received both this year and in years previous, we’ve decided to hold a Week of Thanks across all our social media channels from Monday 3rd – Sunday 9th August. Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn We’re incredibly lucky to be supported by so many wonderful donors, ambassadors, patrons, Friends, Read the Rest...
Louisa Crispin is the latest artist to create a video for our Arty Afternoons series, offering us all a little insight into how we can both capture and lose ourselves in the creative gifts of nature. Having discovered a passion for drawing in 2010, Louisa often finds herself lost in a world of intricate natural observations. The self-styled ‘Artist Gardener’ is entranced by Read the Rest...
We know lots of you will enjoy reading Gardeners’ World Magazine and this month there’s something particularly special to be found within its pages. Our exclusive Horatio’s Garden Tea Towel, designed by artist Katy McIntyre-Brown, features in the August issue, alongside various other horticulturally helpful and inspired products! The product was released this summer in celebration of the start of the RHS Chelsea Flower Read the Rest...
On Tuesday 14th July, HRH Princess Eugenie virtually visited national charity Horatio’s Garden to find out more about how they’ve been supporting patients with spinal injuries, their loved ones and NHS staff throughout lockdown. Since becoming the charity’s Royal Patron in 2019, Princess Eugenie has frequently been in touch with the charity and in light of Coronavirus felt it was important Read the Rest...
Some of you may remember Katy McIntyre-Brown as one of our former Arty Afternoon contributors, where she gently taught us about capturing the beauty of bluebells on canvas. Despite having already lent us her artistic talents, this week Katy is back with a new video offering a glimpse into her creative world through lockdown, as well as providing advice on Read the Rest...
Today we’re saying ‘goodbye’ to our wonderful WRAGS (Work and Retrain as a Gardener Scheme) trainee and friend, Chelsea Lowe. Chelsea has been an invaluable member of the team in Horatio’s Garden Scotland throughout her year-long placement. Her smile, friendship and endless enthusiasm has brought joy to everyone she’s met in the garden and we know that she will be Read the Rest...
We were thrilled to feature in Saturday 11th July’s issue of How To Spend It, the magazine which has been part of the Financial Times for more than 40 years and is widely regarded as the benchmark for luxury lifestyle publications. Horatio’s Garden was mentioned in both the ‘Editor’s Letter: What is Beauty Now?’ as well as in a lengthier piece entitled ‘Mind, Body and Soil’ which can be Read the Rest...
Head Gardener of Horatio’s Garden Oswestry, Imogen Jackson, featured on BBC Radio Shropshire today, speaking to Adam Green all about gardening in lockdown. If you missed Imogen’s interview, click here to catch up. You’ll find us around 2 hours and 10 minutes into the programme. Adam enthusiastically introduced the charity and Imogen, who began by telling listeners all about the Read the Rest...
We are seeking an enthusiastic administrative assistant to provide support to the Head Gardener at the charity’s hospital garden project at The Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry. This high-profile garden, designed by Bunny Guinness, opened in August 2019 and is trailblazing the benefits of gardens and health. The role will Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden Oswestry has once again hit the headlines of the Oswestry & Border Counties Advertizer thanks to a generous donation from The West Brom Building Society, which has a local branch in the town. The article tells the story of the business’ charitable arm, the Mercian Community Trust, generously donating £1,000 to Horatio’s Garden Oswestry in order to ensure that the Read the Rest...
Everyone at Horatio’s Garden is extremely sad to learn of the loss of Rose Paterson at the end of June. Rose was a wonderful friend to Horatio’s Garden. As an appeal patron, Rose helped tirelessly and generously with the fundraising for Horatio’s Garden Oswestry at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital and we will be forever grateful for her kindness Read the Rest...
GMG News, the quarterly magazine of the Garden Media Guild, have kindly featured a little bit about our Grow to Give fundraising campaign in their Summer 2020 issue! To read the full article, please click here. You’ll find us on page 5! Having supported our new lockdown fundraising campaign from the beginning, the magazine got in touch to see how Read the Rest...
Designer of Horatio’s Garden Scotland, James Alexander-Sinclair, has featured on the latest episode of Fresh from the Pod, a Candide podcast hosted by Tamsin Westhorpe. Being an RHS judge, co-chair of the Garden Media Guild, writer and gardener, Tamsin was the perfect person to chat to James about his commitment to the horticultural show circuit, his passionate showmanship and the importance of Horatio’s Garden. Read the Rest...
Our new project, Horatio’s Garden Wales, has been featured in both the Cardiff & Vale Health Charity Newsletter and Welsh Country, a magazine dedicated to life in the Welsh countryside. Each piece explains how we’re collaborating with Cardiff & Vale Health Charity in order to create our sixth exceptional garden, which will be part of the new, state of the art Welsh Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Centre. Both Read the Rest...
After a brief hiatus, our Arty Afternoons are back and we’re starting with a brilliant video by artist Nell Nicholas. Some of you may remember Nell from her short residency in Horatio’s Garden Salisbury around this time last year. She spent a week drawing and encouraging patients to embrace their creative side amongst the planting, with some truly fantastic results. Read the Rest...
Another month of 2020 has passed in the blink of an eye, which means we have more stories for you from each of our beautiful gardens around the UK. Whilst lots of you reading this will know how important outdoor spaces are for everyone’s health and wellbeing, this year has truly placed the value of nature at the forefront of our collective consciousness. Just as your gardens, local Read the Rest...
Another month of 2020 has passed in the blink of an eye, which means we have more stories for you from each of our beautiful gardens around the UK. Whilst lots of you reading this will know how important outdoor spaces are for everyone’s health and wellbeing, this year has truly placed the value of nature at the forefront of our collective consciousness. Just as your gardens, local Read the Rest...
Another month of 2020 has passed in the blink of an eye, which means we have more stories for you from each of our beautiful gardens around the UK. Whilst lots of you reading this will know how important outdoor spaces are for everyone’s health and wellbeing, this year has truly placed the value of nature at the forefront of Read the Rest...
Another month of 2020 has passed in the blink of an eye, which means we have more stories for you from each of our beautiful gardens around the UK. Whilst lots of you reading this will know how important outdoor spaces are for everyone’s health and wellbeing, this year has truly placed the value of nature at the forefront of our collective consciousness. Just as your gardens, local Read the Rest...
Some of you may be aware that incredible supporter Amanda Harris recently completed her 150-mile at-home cycle challenge to raise funds for Horatio’s Garden Wales and now the story has captured the attention of BBC News! To read the BBC Wales article, please click here. To watch the BBC Wales report, please click ‘Play’ on the video below. BBC News Wales Read the Rest...
Andrew Rodger, a patient who has spent time in both the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit and Horatio’s Garden Scotland since January this year, has recently made a triumphant return home after overcoming Coronavirus. He was admitted to the spinal centre after a fall and whilst in the centre unfortunately tested positive for Covid-19. He was unwell for over seven weeks, but now that he is Covid-19 Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden Wales is featuring in the July issue of Gardens Illustrated thanks to award-winning journalist, Annie Gatti. Having previously worked as an editor and journalist for numerous national publications, Annie is now a freelance writer specialising in all things related to gardens and gardeners. Her work frequently appears in Gardens Illustrated and the like, as well as The Telegraph and The Guardian, hence we are Read the Rest...
Lord Nigel Crisp, former Chief Executive of the English NHS, has recently written a new book entitled Health is Made At Home, Hospitals are for Repairs: Building a Healthy and Health-Creating Society. Lord Crisp led major NHS reforms between 2000-2006, whilst he was also Permanent Secretary of the UK Department of Health. Since then, he has worked globally, with an emphasis on Africa, where he Read the Rest...
Chelsea Lowe joined us almost exactly one year ago in Horatio’s Garden Scotland as part of the ‘Work and Retrain as a Gardener Scheme’ (WRAGS) run by the Women’s Farm and Garden Association (WFGA). Her position was largely funded by The Finnis Scott Foundation, which was established under the Will of Lady Scott (Valerie Finnis) in 2006. In honour of Read the Rest...
To donate to Horatio’s Garden London, please click here. Having been blessed with weeks of glorious weather, there’s been a lot of progress in Horatio’s Garden London since spring! The team from ARJ Construction have been working incredibly hard at the site, even giving up their weekends in order to stick to their schedule. Despite supply chain disruptions and all Read the Rest...
Lots of you have been getting involved with our new national fundraising event, Grow to Give, this summer and we’ve loved hearing how some of your garden gate sales have already raised incredible amounts for the charity! Grow to Give is all about small acts of kindness. At the beginning of lockdown, we began by encouraging everyone to leave fresh Read the Rest...
The story of Horatio Chapple is one that no one can forget, but I first came to know about Horatio’s Garden when I went to a talk in Winterbourne Dauntsey village hall, given by Cleve West. This was in the autumn of 2012. He showed slides of the ‘before’ and ‘after’ state of the garden and the transformation from mud to mixed Read the Rest...
The Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) has supported people with spinal cord injuries for over 40 years. As part of their commitment to being a leading source of advice and information for people with SCI, the charity publish a bi-monthly magazine providing the SCI community with a wealth of information and stories. Members have real ownership of the magazine, as the Read the Rest...
Throughout the Coronavirus crisis, Horatio’s Garden has been a lifeline for patients with spinal cord injuries and NHS staff who are currently living and working in hospital. “I am so proud of all the patients and staff, many of whom have been helping in the garden. To see everyone outside, not dwelling on their worries and hearing them chat and Read the Rest...
As part of the buzz around this year’s Virtual RHS Chelsea Flower Show, reporter Katy Griffin of the Salisbury Journal got in touch to see how Horatio’s Garden have joined in with the show’s online events. The article mentions that there will be a little more than usual happening on the charity’s social media channels, with plenty of Chelsea-related content Read the Rest...
This week Horatio’s Garden has been featured in the Cardiff Times as word begins to spread about our sixth project at University Hospital, Llandough. The free monthly magazine features a variety of local news and everything related to the life of the Cardiff community, including a whole host of good causes that need public support. As such, they’ve thoughtfully mentioned Read the Rest...
Today we would have been ready and waiting on Cross Way to welcome fellow garden enthusiasts to the world’s greatest flower show. However, whilst we might be unable to celebrate with you in person this year, we will still be joining in with everything the RHS have planned as part of their Virtual RHS Chelsea Flower Show week. Click here to visit the Read the Rest...
Acclaimed garden designer James Alexander-Sinclair may have brought gardens to life across Europe, but he shared with readers of Garden News that of all the gardens he’s designed, Horatio’s Garden Glasgow is his all-time favourite. Writing a short article for the magazine he explained why this garden holds a particularly special place in his heart. Naturally, the fact that this Read the Rest...
Joe Swift, designer of Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville, wrote a wonderful piece for the March issue of Gardeners’ World Magazine detailing how the beautiful garden was brought to life and what the extraordinary project means to him. The article is aptly titled ‘My Recipe for Wellbeing’, which tells the story of how Joe came to be involved with the charity Read the Rest...
Click here to purchase our brand new tea towel. Katy McIntyre-Brown has painted all her life. Growing up between Highbury, North London and a rambling water mill on the Somerset coast, she was always drawn to the calming power of nature, particularly as it contrasted the harsh architectural forms of the city. Her passion became her profession in 2005, when Katy and her Read the Rest...
Just two days away from graduating, Katie was busy living her life of passionate reckless abandon and love. Just two days away from graduating, Katie had an accident that would change her life forever. She decided to go for a swim to let off steam after a day spent working as an intern in London. Diving straight in without checking Read the Rest...
The Good Web Guide constantly curate and feature a library of leading websites, podcasts, influencers and blogs, which are all handpicked by their expert team and guest editors. This week, Founder & Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, featured as guest editor, sharing all her online favourites and giving readers a little insight into what she enjoys besides her work. Read the Rest...
We’ve been supported by some fantastic artists throughout our Virtual Arty Afternoons series on YouTube and this week is no different! Our latest video comes from professional photographer, Richard Foster, who has generously taken the time to create this brilliant video to help all of us take the perfect picture with just an iPhone (or equivalent). As a leading specialist Read the Rest...
For those of you who may not know about Garden Day UK, it’s the chance for people to ‘down tools, don a flower crown and spend time celebrating their gardens’! The main thing is that it’s for everyone, whether you’ve got a garden, balcony, or simply enjoy tending to your house plants. This year the event was held on Sunday Read the Rest...
This bank holiday weekend we’ve joined the rest of the UK in celebrating VE Day and the NHS. Each Horatio’s Garden honoured the service and sacrifice of a generation in their own unique way, whilst simultaneously thanking all those who are currently working on the frontline. In Horatio’s Garden Scotland, former volunteer Archie Campbell returned with his bagpipes in hand Read the Rest...
Veteran broadcaster and keen artist, Andrew Marr, recently launched the ‘Britain in Spring’ art competition in a long form article for The Daily Mail. As the competition’s Head Judge, Marr explained that the competition is all about capturing any stunning ‘spring-scapes’ currently flourishing in the UK. Quoting artist David Hockney, who recently said under lockdown in France “Do remember they can’t cancel Read the Rest...
Dr Olivia Chapple has introduced Garden News magazine readers to Horatio’s Garden Oswestry by writing a wonderful piece for their most recent edition. Following in James Alexander-Sinclair’s footsteps, who wrote about Horatio’s Garden Scotland for the ‘My Favourite Place’ feature, Olivia shares that for her our newest garden is ‘an uplifting island of calm in a very practical setting’. The article Read the Rest...
We can’t believe that it’s been a whole year since the National Garden Scheme last held their annual Gardens and Health Week and this May the initiative is perhaps more important than ever. Gardens and Health Week is all about championing gardens as places of solace, recuperation and relaxation throughout the year, every year. The campaign, running from Friday 8th May to Saturday 16th May, will raise Read the Rest...
This week we were mentioned in Alice Thomson’s column for The Times which argued that the joy of gardens and gardening should be open to all. The piece illustrated how lockdown has led to more people spending time in their gardens and indeed gardening than ever before, citing that nearly a third of a million people visited the RHS website to learn how Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden was featured in a recent edition of The Observer as part of Kate Kellaway’s thoughtful review of Sue Stuart-Smith’s The Well Gardened Mind and Isabel Hardman’s The Natural Health Service. In her article Kate captures the essence of the two titles, which seem timelier than ever in light of the Coronavirus crisis, describing them as ‘a fascinating pair Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville has this week been featured in The Telegraph in a fantastic article by Anna Tyzack, which explores the transformative power of our gardens and how they’re currently more important than ever. The piece provides an insight into the impact of a spinal cord injury and how Covid-19 is magnifying patients’ concerns. Graeme Stone, who is currently a patient of the National Read the Rest...
Pro Landscaper magazine recently featured a brilliant article about Horatio’s Garden which asked the rather timely question of ‘How do gardens make a difference?’ As many of you will know, Horatio’s Garden regularly contributes to such discussions by demonstrating the various ways in which gardens have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of both patients with spinal injuries Read the Rest...
Despite the challenging times currently facing the UK, the team from ARJ construction have continued working incredibly hard to progress Horatio’s Garden London at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore. The most recent developments have been taking place in the glorious spring sunshine and the garden is slowly starting to resemble Tom Stuart-Smith’s designs. This week has seen the arrival Read the Rest...
This week our Arty Afternoon video has been created by Dorset-based artist, Lucy Bentley. Lucy works as a professional artist in between teaching students at Hanford School as Head of Art. She adores painting, drawing and creating and everything she does has vibrancy at its heart. Using a wide range of techniques and materials, Lucy does a great variety of work Read the Rest...
Click to watch Rosamund’s Tulip Tour of Slade. As some of you may know, Rosamund Davies was due to open her beautiful garden in Slade in support of the National Garden Scheme this month. However, as Coronavirus has caused the National Garden Scheme to shut all its gardens for the foreseeable future, now Rosamund is giving you the opportunity to virtually visit her stunning garden as part Read the Rest...
Over the Easter weekend our brand new Grow to Give fundraising campaign was featured by a variety of national and regional press teams, including The Sunday Times and BBC Wiltshire. Journalist Helen Davies at The Sunday Times was sure to feature it in her article aptly titled ‘The importance of a garden is being recognised now – and felt – as never before.’ In the piece, Helen noted that the importance of Read the Rest...
Baroness Masham of Ilton is a wonderful supporter of Horatio’s Garden and recently became one of the charity’s ambassadors. As part of her commitment to championing disability, which she has continued throughout her 50-year career in the House of Lords, she has recently written a letter to The Times to plea for people living with spinal cord injuries to be considered Read the Rest...
We’re giving everyone the chance to join in with our new Virtual Arty Afternoons, with the aim of gently encouraging people everywhere to embrace their creative side. The first two videos have been created by wonderful young artist, Alice Penrose, who is currently studying Biology at University of Oxford. Prior to her beginning her undergraduate degree, Alice gained a Foundation Read the Rest...
Many of you will know that we have now begun fundraising for our sixth project, Horatio’s Garden Cardiff. As part of the redevelopment of University Hospital, Llandough, we were invited to create a garden for the brand new, purpose-built spinal and neurological centre which is due to open in summer 2021. As every Horatio’s Garden is thoughtfully considered, award-winning garden Read the Rest...
Prominent psychiatrist, psychotherapist and Horatio’s Garden supporter, Sue Stuart-Smith, will soon be releasing her new book The Well Gardened Mind. Having studied at Cambridge, Sue went on to work in the National Health Service for many years and became the lead clinician for psychotherapy in Hertfordshire. She has long been passionate about the value and importance of the natural world, which forms the basis Read the Rest...
Senior Reporter for the Shropshire Star, Deborah Hardiman, recently visited Head Gardener, Imogen Jackson, in Horatio’s Garden Oswestry to find out more about her adventure walking John Muir Way. Over 10 days, Imogen, husband Allan, friend Andrew and dog Toby walked the 134-mile coast-to-coast route in order to raise money for the charity. The group camped along the way, which Read the Rest...
We were absolutely thrilled to feature on the most recent episode of This Is Spinal Crap, the podcast all about living well with a spinal cord injury. To listen to the podcast, please click here. The episode, aptly titled ‘Create and Grow’ was hosted by two members of the Spinal Crap team, Ruth and Grace. They were joined by our Read the Rest...
We’re thrilled to have been featured in the Spring/Summer edition of Woolley & Wallis’ magazine, which tells readers more about the Salisbury salerooms’ continued support of Horatio’s Garden. Woolley & Wallis have generously supported the charity from the very beginning, funding sculpture exhibitions in our Salisbury garden annually whilst also support numerous events throughout the years. Most recently, the organisation Read the Rest...
Another two wonderful Waitrose stores have been supporting Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville over the past month, raising almost £600 for the garden between them. Shoppers in Waitrose Windsor and Waitrose High Wycombe have been generously voting for the charity with their green tokens over recent weeks, helping to raise vital funds for the charity. Now that the month has drawn Read the Rest...
Salisbury and London based solicitors, Wilsons, have featured a recent interview with Founder and Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, in the Spring/Summer issue of The Wilsons Magazine. The edition features a great mixture of legal and lifestyle articles, of which the interview is a part. It tells the story of the charity so far, whilst also giving readers an Read the Rest...
In the Coronavirus crisis patients with spinal injuries are going to need a safe garden sanctuary to be away from the ward and seek the calm of nature more than ever before. Our patients are facing increasing social isolation as visits to the spinal centres are being limited and the additional fears of the effect of the virus to them. Read the Rest...
We recently hosted a spring supper at the idyllic Pythouse Kitchen Garden which was attended by many wonderful friends and supporters of Horatio’s Garden. The cosy evening was organised by volunteer Elaine Vaughan, who thought it would be a lovely way to share with over 60 guests how far the charity has come in just a few short years. Many Read the Rest...
Spinal Surgery News have featured our fifth project, Horatio’s Garden London, on the homepage of their website! Following last week’s breaking ground ceremony, the publication cover the story and introduce readers to the charity as a national entity too. As this is the leading trade title for surgeons specialising in spinal injury, it’s wonderful to know that the organisation are Read the Rest...
We were delighted to discover on the morning of International Women’s Day (Sunday 8th March) that our Royal Patron, HRH Princess Eugenie, had shared a story on Instagram celebrating the women who inspire her, with Founder & Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, featuring in the post. The story celebrated her mother, Sarah Ferguson, sister, HRH Princess Beatrice and her Read the Rest...
We have officially begun our fifth project at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore (RNOH) this week, with the help of our wonderful celebrity ambassador Anneka Rice. To date we have planted hope for patients, their families and friends in Salisbury, Scotland, Stoke Mandeville and Oswestry. Now, having raised an incredible total of £1.2 million, work on Horatio’s Garden London is underway. Read the Rest...
The Irish Times have published a thoughtful feature on award-winning garden designer Sarah Price, who is designing the sixth Horatio’s Garden for University Hospital, Llandough in Cardiff. The article describes Sarah’s unique, natural and artistic style, highlighting that everyone can apply and adapt her techniques to make the most of their own gardens. Particularly wonderfully, the article introduces readers to Read the Rest...
Spring is a busy time in Horatio’s Garden and patients have been enjoying making the most of the brighter days, either by taking part in gentle horticultural therapy sessions, or by embracing their creativity. In Salisbury, those joining volunteer Sheila in the weekly art group have loved having a space to produce works in their own artistic styles, whilst some have also been tempted to try new Read the Rest...
A selection of Waitrose stores having been supporting Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville this year as part of their Community Matters scheme. Waitrose stores in Thames, Buckingham and Welwyn Garden City have currently presented us with cheques equalling a grand total of £1,138, which has all been raised by the many wonderful shoppers who have voted for us with their green Read the Rest...
Artist Miranda Creswell has this week gifted her unique ‘Butterfly Table’ to Horatio’s Garden Scotland, where it was enthusiastically received by patients and their loved ones spending time in the Queen Elizabeth Spinal Injuries Unit. Miranda has spent the past year creating the table as part of her Looking Out Glasgow project, which began with a group of patients from Read the Rest...
Founder and Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, recently featured on BroRadio, which is the local radio station responsible for broadcasting across the Vale of Glamorgan. Olivia was welcomed on air for her live interview by Geoff Selby, who artfully guided the segment aimed at raising awareness of the charity now that we’ve begun the capital appeal for Horatio’s Garden Cardiff. Olivia introduced Read the Rest...
We were very excited to see that Horatio’s Garden Scotland featured on yesterday evening’s episode of Beechgrove Repotted! The segment about Horatio’s Garden begins at approximately 8 minutes 30 seconds. CLICK HERE TO CATCH UP The Beechgrove Garden team previously visited our garden at the Queen Elizabeth Spinal Injuries Unit in Glasgow back in 2017, speaking with Founder & Chair Read the Rest...
We’ve seen some very happy Head Gardeners and volunteers this week thanks to a generous donation from Hozelock. The company have given all our gardens a range of their brilliant and trusted products, from hozes to compost bins. As Hozelock have 60 years of experience in creating the perfect products for gardeners, it’s safe to say that everyone is looking Read the Rest...
There’s always something happening in Horatio’s Garden, but it’s been particularly busy in Salisbury and Stoke Mandeville this January as we’ve welcomed three brilliant artists to the charity. In Salisbury, Katy McIntryre-Brown is our winter artist in residence and she recently joined volunteer artist Sheila in the garden’s weekly art group. Katy got to know many of the patients and families Read the Rest...
The RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch took place this year from 25th – 27th January and Horatio’s Garden certainly enjoyed getting involved. The Birdwatch is the world’s largest wildlife survey, with over half a million people regularly taking part. It’s been taking place for the past 40 years and enables scientists to monitor trends and helps them to understand how wildlife Read the Rest...
This week we’ve been welcomed to the site of the fifth Horatio’s Garden at the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore! The team from ARJ construction have quickly set to work and we are so excited to see Tom Stuart-Smith’s wonderfully thoughtful designs beginning to be brought to life. The garden will carefully reflect Read the Rest...
Many patients and their loved ones spent Christmas in the comfort of Horatio’s Garden, spending time with each other and helping our volunteers and Head Gardeners prepare for the New Year. In our Stoke Mandeville garden, the Christmas tree was much-appreciated by all and we are so grateful to Peterley Manor Farm for bringing a touch of magic to the Read the Rest...
The Glasgow Times have recently begun a weekly column about volunteering in Glasgow and featured Lillian, a volunteer in our Scotland garden, in their very first edition! Lillian kindly shared her wonderful story, which told the audience all about the charity and why she feels that volunteering in Horatio’s Garden is “worth its weight in gold.” We are so pleased Read the Rest...
To read the full article, please CLICK HERE. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) recently published a new article focussing on Horatio’s Garden Salisbury and how the charity has grown since 2012. The RHS originally featured our Salisbury garden in their member’s magazine The Garden back in 2017, when it was one of only two gardens, the other being Horatio’s Garden Scotland. With gardens now Read the Rest...
Professional, versatile artist Rebecca Rason Flor Ferreira will soon be joining us as the new artist in residence in Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville! Rebecca will be in the garden every Monday from 12pm – 5pm from Monday 13th January to Monday 24th February. Patients and their loved ones will all have the chance to paint with Rebecca, who will be offering gentle Read the Rest...
Self-taught, professional artist Katy McIntyre-Brown will soon be joining us in Horatio’s Garden Salisbury. Katy will be starting her winter residency in the garden on Wednesday 15th January and thereafter will be in the garden every Tuesday from 4th February until then end of March. Patients, families and friends will all have the opportunity to paint alongside Katy, or can Read the Rest...
We’re welcoming natural artist Zac Newham to Horatio’s Garden Salisbury for a fun wooden mosaic workshop on Tuesday 21st January from 1pm – 4pm. Zac is a Salisbury-based artist who, amongst many other things, creates these wonderful wooden pieces. Now, he is offering patients and families the opportunity to get creative in the garden and learn more about how the natural world is Read the Rest...
On Monday 2nd December we welcomed over 800 of you to the very first Horatio’s Garden Carol Concert and what an evening it was! We couldn’t believe how many of you chose to join us for the event and the enthusiasm shown by each and every one of our wonderful supporters made for a truly incredible atmosphere. Amongst their family and friends, everyone soon settled Read the Rest...
There have been a whole host of festivities taking place in each Horatio’s Garden across the UK, bringing a touch of Christmas magic to patients, families, friends, NHS staff and our wonderful supporters. In Salisbury, an overwhelming number of people came along to the garden’s annual Christmas Fair, with many commenting they’d found more than a few ideal gifts for Read the Rest...
Give your loved ones the perfect gift this Christmas by purchasing the bespoke Horatio’s Garden quote pendant and cufflinks created by fine jewellery designer Cassandra Goad. Cassandra was inspired by the work carried out at Horatio’s Garden and has designed and created both limited-edition silver and gold quote pendants, as well as limited-edition silver and gold cufflinks, in honour of Horatio Chapple. The pendant Read the Rest...
It was wonderful to see both Sir Matthew Pinsent and former Olympic rower Peter Reed together in Horatio’s Garden Salisbury recently, when Matthew visited to interview Peter for a string of BBC programmes. Peter recently suffered a spinal stroke and has been spending time in the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre. He has become a regular visitor to the garden, Read the Rest...
On Monday 11th November, luxury womenswear label Winser London held an exclusive shopping evening in support of Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville. The event was incredibly well-supported, with over 25 happy shoppers joining us in Marlow for the occasion. The evening raised over £700 for the garden, thanks to Winser London generously donating 20% of all sales to Horatio’s Garden. We Read the Rest...
Following our win in the Nation’s Favourite Garden competition for the South West region, The English Garden magazine has featured Horatio’s Garden Salisbury in their December issue. The article reveals more about where the charity came from and details some of the uniquely beautiful elements of Cleve West’s award-winning design. These include the low, curving limestone walls that echo the Read the Rest...
Click here to find out more about Horatio’s Garden Cardiff and to watch our brand new appeal film. On Thursday 14th November we held the official launch of our capital appeal for Horatio’s Garden Cardiff at the Cardiff & County Club. The charity was joined by over 100 enthusiastic new supporters, including rugby legend Sir Gareth Edwards. Everyone who attended was Read the Rest...
On Saturday 9th November almost 100 people dressed in their country best and joined in with a fabulous Barn Dance in aid of Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville. The event was kindly organised by a group of Stoke Mandeville volunteers, who decided to go above and beyond in order to raise money for the garden. Guests were treated to a delicious Read the Rest...
Dawn Harkin previously spent 11 months in the Scottish National Spinal Injuries Unit and during her time in hospital she was a frequent and much-loved visitor to Horatio’s Garden Scotland. Since leaving hospital, she has been busy organising a fabulous raffle which recently raised over £3,000 for a range of hospital charities. Incredibly, she chose to donate £1,000 of her Read the Rest...
This year we’re celebrating Trustees’ Week, which runs from Monday 4th to Friday 8th November. Our trustees are an integral part of Horatio’s Garden, volunteering their time, expertise and advice to ensure that the charity continues to plant hope for everyone affected by spinal injury across the UK. All our trustees are incredibly dedicated to the charity, but it is particularly close to Read the Rest...
Pennant is the magazine of the Forces Pension Society and is published bi-annually containing an entertaining mix about life in the Forces, news, opinions and views, member’s feedback and much more. In their autumn edition, they chose to feature the story of Horatio’s Garden across a generous double-page spread, which details where the charity came from and where it hopes to Read the Rest...
We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that Horatio’s Garden Salisbury has been voted by members of the British public as the National Garden Scheme’s ‘Nation’s Favourite Garden’ in the competition’s South West category! The award was collected by both Head Gardener Stephen Hackett and Horatio’s Garden founder and Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, who on Monday evening attended the awards ceremony at Read the Rest...
Spooky, autumnal celebrations have been occurring in all the gardens this month as patients, staff and volunteers embraced Halloween in a whole host of creative ways. Pumpkins have been growing steadily in Scotland all year and have been a much-appreciated part of the incredible autumn harvest we’ve seen in the garden this year. As part of the garden’s Halloween celebrations, WRAGS trainee Read the Rest...
This November we will be officially launching the capital appeal for Horatio’s Garden Cardiff, but already the Cardiff Times is busy spreading the word to everyone in the city. The magazine kindly published an article this weekend that introduced our sixth project to the local community, including details of Sarah Price’s designs and a wonderful quote from Professor Charles Janczewski, interim Read the Rest...
Back in June, some of you may remember us introducing you all to artist Miranda Creswell and her work on the Butterfly Table for Horatio’s Garden Scotland, which is part of her ‘Looking Out Glasgow’ project. Miranda spent many months painting numerous butterflies in the Oxford Museum of Natural History, which will feature on the table, and soon we will Read the Rest...
By signing up to any of the following, you’ll be helping us to raise vital funds every time you shop. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TO AMAZONSMILE 1 – Go to the AmazonSmile website by clicking the link above 2 – Type in your email address (either a new email if you are new to Amazon, or the email you Read the Rest...
Patients, staff and volunteers were all taking part in the RSPB’s ‘Birdsong Takeover’ event on Thursday, which was part of their national Let Nature Sing initiative. The sweet sounds were played all afternoon throughout the garden room and Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries, helping the RSPB to reach its aim of bringing the music to around five million people’s ears. The Read the Rest...
In 2019 the Women of the Year Lunch & Awards was held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel on Monday 14th October. The lunch, which was hosted by Horatio’s Garden London patron Mel Giedroyc, brought together over 400 women who were each handpicked for their achievements and contribution to society. Founder and Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, was invited to attend this year, alongside Read the Rest...
Whoever said you couldn’t have a barbeque in October?! The weather was uncommonly kind to Horatio’s Garden Scotland last weekend as patients, families, friends and staff gathered in the garden to celebrate the beginning of autumn in style. A brilliant crowd came together for the afternoon and it was lovely to see so many people catching up and having fun Read the Rest...
Professional artist Keith Jansz, a world-renowned mouth painter, will be painting in Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville on Thursday 10th October from 12pm – 5pm. Keith feels a connection with this particular garden as he previously spent six months in the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville following a car accident in 1995. When Keith returned home after his time Read the Rest...
The Garden Media Guild (GMG) have very kindly featured an article all about Horatio’s Garden and the exciting opportunity to visit each of our gardens from April to October 2020. Garden Tour Coordinator, Lucy Shergold, wrote the wonderful piece which introduced readers to the charity and explained why each garden is so important. She touches on how the gardens help patients Read the Rest...
Law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp (BBK), who are ranked by the Legal 500 as a Top Tier firm and have over 30 years’ experience in complex injury cases, have been dedicated supporters of Horatio’s Garden for many years. They sponsor all the seasonal events we hold in both our Salisbury and Stoke Mandeville garden, offering patients and their families the Read the Rest...
To pre-order your Children’s Advent Calendar or ‘World Changer Wall Calendar’, please CLICK HERE. From Monday 7th October, both calendars will be available to purchase online via the Advent of Change Website and John Lewis & Partners. They will also be be stocked in John Lewis stores across the country. * Horatio’s Garden are delighted to announce that they are Read the Rest...
London-based professional photographer, Chaz Oldham, has kindly shared his film, Beauty & Truth: Healing Green, with Horatio’s Garden. Chaz began his journey photographing the healers and the healed of the horticultural world just over a year ago, with no idea of where it would take him. He initially conceived the project as a small celebration of the best the green world had to offer, Read the Rest...
WheelPower, the National Charity for Wheelchair Sport are hosting their annual National Junior Games (NJG) 2019 from 30 September – 3 October at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the birthplace of the Paralympic Movement. The primary focus of the National Junior Games is to encourage the disabled children who take part in the Games to lead a healthier and more active lifestyle, Read the Rest...
If you missed the episode, CLICK HERE to watch it on BBC iPlayer. The piece on Horatio’s Garden begins at 24 minutes 50 seconds. We hope you enjoyed watching BBC Gardeners’ World on Friday 27th September 2019! We were delighted to welcome Joe Swift back to Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville, along with the rest of the team from the beloved Read the Rest...
Founder and Chair of Trustees, Dr Olivia Chapple, recently attended the Women of Achievement lunch in Scotland, which was held in order to raise funds for Horatio’s Garden. The event was held at the iconic Archers’ Hall in Edinburgh, where women from across the country gathered to discuss and celebrate their experiences. All those who attended were enormously generous in their support Read the Rest...
Our Autumn Newsletter has arrived! Simply click the link in the top right-hand corner of this page to read all about what’s been happening in Horatio’s Garden over the past few months.
In an incredible double-page spead, Bunny Guinness introduced Horatio’s Garden Oswestry to readers of The Telegraph in style last weekend! Bunny wrote a wonderful piece that not only describes the thought and time that went into designing the garden, but also how lovely it is to now see the garden being treasured by so many. She recalls having ‘no doubts’ when Founder and Chair of Read the Rest...
Five fabulous competitors made up #teamhoratiosgarden and took part in the Swim Serpentine fundraising event on Saturday 21st September to raise money for Horatio’s Garden. Swim Serpentine is a hugely popular, open water swimming event that is staged in the stunning setting of the iconic Serpentine in Hyde Park. It was previously the venue of the open water swimming competition Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden Oswestry was officially opened by Sir Algernon Heber-Percy on Sunday 22nd September in the Midland Centre for Spinal Injury (MCSI) at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH). It was an enormously happy occasion, with patients, staff and visitors alike commenting on the beauty of the garden and what a difference it is making to the lives of Read the Rest...
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that the team at Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville have been awarded GOLD in the Aylesbury in Bloom 2019 Communal Gardens category! The award was presented to Head Gardener Jacqui Martin-Lof by the Mayor of Aylesbury, Councillor Mike Smith, at a presentation held in the beautiful gardens of the Lindengate Mental Health Charity in Wendover. Read the Rest...
The Horatios Garden 2019 Christmas card has arrived! This year our unique card has been designed exclusively by Salisbury-based artist, Nell Nicholas. Back in the summer, Nell spent a week in Horatio’s Garden Salisbury as one of our artists in residence, creating both her own work and offering gentle encouragement to patients who were inspired to capture the garden in Read the Rest...
On Sunday 8th September Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville opened on behalf of the National Garden Scheme for the very first time, which coincidentally fell on the same day as the garden’s first birthday! With the bunting up, the sun shining and over 250 visitors, including patients and hospital staff, it was the perfect time to celebrate. The team received many wonderful Read the Rest...
Aside from BBC Shropshire’s special live broadcast in the garden on Sunday 8th September (which you can read more about by clicking HERE) a lot has been happening in the short time since our garden opened to patients, volunteers and NHS staff. Head Gardener Imogen, with support from staff from the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH), has Read the Rest...
George Plumptre, Chief Executive of the National Garden Scheme, recently featured Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville in The Telegraph as one of his choice gardens to visit last weekend. His short article featured three very different gardens with one thing in common; they each make the absolute most of their space. As George describes, Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville offers a ‘masterclass’ Read the Rest...
On Sunday 8th September we were joined in our brand new garden by Paul Shuttleworth and Margaret Thrower for a very special live broadcast from Horatio’s Garden Oswestry. The team spent three hours hosting their programme from the comfort of our surprisingly sunny garden, with Paul safely nested in one of the secluded bays so that the space could continue Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden Salisbury volunteers have been featured in the October edition of Wiltshire Life following their achievement of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. As many of you will know, the award is the highest honour given to UK volunteer groups and is equivalent to receiving a group MBE. It was announced in June that the group had won the award and a special Read the Rest...
Meet ‘Tell’. Fifty years ago Terrence ‘Tell’ Hicks was hitchhiking around the world – living on a dollar a day – following his passion for herpetology. He was finding reptiles and the like, catching them, sketching them and then returning them to wild. His quest took him to India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Thailand, Bali, Indonesia and Australia. It was in Australia Read the Rest...
On Sunday 1st September we welcomed visitors to Horatio’s Garden Scotland, opening our garden gates in support Scotland’s Garden Scheme. Remarkably, the sun was shining throughout the afternoon which gave everyone the chance to explore the garden in all its seasonal glory! Our volunteer team have worked incredibly hard in preparation for the event and their efforts certainly paid off. Many Read the Rest...
Volunteer and fine artist, Patricia Samanta, is returning to Horatio’s Garden Salisbury as our new artist in residence. Patricia will be in the garden every Tuesday afternoon between 12-3pm from Tuesday 10th September until the end of October. She will be creating her own artwork inspired by the garden and will also be on-hand to offer gentle encouragement to patients pursuing Read the Rest...
Ahead of the official opening of Horatio’s Garden Oswestry on Sunday 22nd September, mother and daughter team, Bunny and Unity Guinness, recently spent time speaking with Rebecca Lennard of the Oswestry & Border Counties Advertizer in the garden. To read the full article, please click HERE. Both Bunny and Unity have been involved in the project since the very beginning, holding a design consultation day many months Read the Rest...
Bunny Guinness was recently joined in Horatio’s Garden Oswestry by BBC Shropshire’s very own Paul Shuttleworth, who was asking her all about the designs of our latest garden. Despite bringing gardens to life for more than 40 years, Bunny shared that she’s always surprised by her gardens when exploring them for the first time. She told listeners that after spending years meticulously designing every Read the Rest...
The Shropshire Star have kindly featured Horatio’s Garden Oswestry once again, celebrating the garden’s opening to patients and their loved ones earlier this month. The newspaper details various elements of the design, giving readers an insight into just how thoughtful designer Bunny Guinness was when she first imagined the garden back in 2018. It also mentions the wildlife that is already in abundance in Read the Rest...
The Sunday Post, a newspaper founded in 1914 and widely circulated in Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of Northern England, recently mentioned Horatio’s Garden in an article delineating the benefits of gardens and gardening to health. The article focusses on numerous projects and charities throughout Scotland who are increasingly recommending gardening to a huge variety of people, from teenagers with autism to Read the Rest...
Jacqui Martin-Lof, Head Gardener in Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville, recently visited the stunning Malverleys Terrace garden in East Hampshire, which hosted an event to celebrate and thank everyone who opens their garden on behalf of the National Garden Scheme in Berkshire. The Malverleys garden is a particularly beautiful New English Flower Garden, which spans 10 acres within the grounds of a country estate. It Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden Oswestry opened for the very first time this week, with patients, volunteers and NHS staff all making their way to the garden for a celebratory cup of tea and slice of homemade cake. The afternoon was an immensely happy, emotional occasion which saw everyone chatting and getting to know both each other and the beautiful space Bunny Guinness initially Read the Rest...
Much has been happening up in Oswestry throughout the past few weeks! The top priority has been watering this vast space, as those based in the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt National Orthopaedic Hospital have been enjoying the warm weather currently sweeping the UK just as much as the rest of us. Head Gardener Imogen, Assistant Brian, and a handful of Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden were delighted to be invited by Newbury Racecourse to raise awareness of the charity and all that we do to support people facing life-changing injuries. On Thursday 25th July, Trustee Maggie Cameron, Titus Chapple, Charlotte Crawley and her mother Minty, all attended the races on behalf of the charity and had a truly brilliant evening amongst friends. All Read the Rest...
This September we’ll be opening each Horatio’s Garden in Salisbury, Scotland and Stoke Mandeville in support of the National Garden Scheme. This is your opportunity to explore these unique, thriving spaces and learn more about how Horatio’s Garden supports people’s physical and mental rehabilitation as they learn to live with life-changing injuries. Both Horatio’s Garden and the National Garden Scheme Read the Rest...
This week we’ve heard from Sue, a volunteer in Horatio’s Garden Salisbury, who has been lending the charity her time for many years now. To find out more about why Sue got involved, have a read of her story below. * “After my retirement I wanted to give something back and find something enjoyable to do. Having worked in an Read the Rest...
We’re thrilled to welcome Nell Nicholas to Horatio’s Garden, who will be one of our artists in residence in Salisbury this summer. She will be in the garden on the following dates: Friday 19th – 12-5pm Monday 22nd – 12-5pm Tuesday 23rd – 12-5pm Wednesday 24th – 12-5pm Thursday 25th – 12-5pm Friday 26th – 12-5pm As Nell Read the Rest...
Pipers Corner School, which is based near High Wycombe, have been enormously supportive of Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville throughout the past academic year. From hosting a Fabulous Summer Tea Party to performing for patients in the garden, students across all years have been enormously enthusiastic as they embarked on their charitable endeavours. In the past two weeks alone the pupils have supported the Read the Rest...
We would like to warmly welcome Isaac Hadfield to the Horatio’s Garden team, who will be spending the summer with as one of our new Research Interns. Isaac wrote the short piece below by way to introduce himself and to share his reasons for wanting to work with the charity. * Hi, I’m Isaac, and I’m joining Ruxi as a Read the Rest...
Avid Horatio’s Garden supporters Ann and Evelyn recently hosted a tea and coffee morning at the Tynings allotment in Warminster to encourage their community to raise funds for the charity. Their event was subsequently featured in the Warminster Journal, along with an accompanying piece explaining where the charity came from and its future aspirations. Both Ann and Evelyn visited our Food and Read the Rest...
As some of you may know, this year Dr Olivia Chapple was invited to be part of a panel contributing to Gardeners’ World Magazine’s ‘Grow Yourself Healthy’ campaign. Olivia has now contributed to two issues alongside Margaret Kievel and Victoria Theakston, who have both spent time in the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre in Salisbury. In the magazine’s May Read the Rest...
This month The Simple Things magazine have chosen to feature Dr Olivia Chapple in their monthly ‘Excellent Women’ feature. The article tells the story of charity. It focusses particularly on the wonderful idea Horatio had to create a garden for patients in Salisbury, and how Olivia has nurtured his legacy to establish the stunning sanctuaries that are treasured by so many today. Read the Rest...
Head Gardener Imogen Jackson has been incredibly busy in her first month with Horatio’s Garden, not least because progress throughout June at our new Oswestry garden has been rapid! Gardening and construction have continued to progress at an astonishing rate, with the addition of ten elegant raised beds arriving in the final week of June. These will not only ensure that every Read the Rest...
Our Salisbury Head Gardener, Stephen Hackett, recently wrote a brilliant article for Salisbury Life Magazine which has been featured in their July issue. The piece, entitled ‘Let It Grow’, features a variety of Salisbury gardeners who all make it their mission to contribute to the local community by creating and nurturing beautiful spaces. Each is also committed to offering a Read the Rest...
Salisbury Life Magazine have featured Horatio’s Garden throughout their July issue, illustrating the huge variety of opportunities and experiences that come with being involved with the charity. Our first mention is to celebrate our Salisbury volunteers receiving the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, which informs the local community about this enormous honour. It’s been lovely to see so many Salisbury-based Read the Rest...
We would like to welcome Martha Solloway to Horatio’s Garden, who this summer will be our new Artist in Residence in Salisbury. Martha has been involved with the charity for a while and passionately supports us in any way she can. In the past she has generously donated her work to our 2018 Chelsea Secret Art Sale, and also designed our enormously popular Christmas Read the Rest...
We are delighted to welcome Caroline May back to Horatio’s Garden, who will this summer be our new Artist in Residence at Stoke Mandeville. Last year Caroline was our Artist in Residence in Scotland, encouraging patients and visitors to be creative, whilst also creating numerous beautiful works herself. She recently exhibited a collection of her final pieces in Spring 2019, Read the Rest...
We are delighted to introduce Ruxandra Vasile, who has joined the Horatio’s Garden team for the Summer as our new Research Intern. Below is a short piece she has written explaining a little more about herself and why she was interested in working with us. * Hello, I’m Ruxandra, one of the interns for Summer 2019! A couple of weeks ago Read the Rest...
We would like to warmly welcome Chelsea Lowe to the Horatio’s Garden team, who has this week begun her 12-month placement in our Scotland garden. Chelsea will be supporting Head Gardener Sallie Sillars in the garden for two days a week, which is part of her commitment to the ‘Work and Retrain as a Gardener Scheme’ (WRAGS) run by the Women’s Read the Rest...
The achievements of the Horatio’s Garden Salisbury volunteer team have been featured this June in the Salisbury Journal. Following the incredible news that the group had been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the Journal decided to spread the word of their recognition throughout the local community. Many people in Salisbury have supported Horatio’s Garden since the beginning, and Read the Rest...
More photos of all your Fabulous Summer Tea Parties have continued flooding in and we’ve loved hearing all about them. The Richards Castle Women’s Institute held their tea party in a member’s garden, hanging out their beautiful bunting with pride as they enjoyed a delightful afternoon tea outside amongst the flora and fauna. Everyone was in good spirits, laughing and Read the Rest...
On their most recent visit to Horatio’s Garden Oswestry Head Gardener Imogen Jackson, Administration Assistant Brian Kilty, Operations Manager John Grinstead and Marketing Manager Kathryn Furnell were delighted to be joined by Paul Shuttleworth of BBC Radio Shropshire. Paul was visiting the garden in order to discover more about our latest project, and also chatted with the team to find out about Horatio’s Garden Read the Rest...
Today we’re featuring Cecil, who below tells the story of how he came to volunteer at Horatio’s Garden Salisbury. It’s a short, but immensely uplifting tale which we hope you enjoy reading. * “For many years I have been a patient of Mr Chapple’s at Salisbury District. Over the years I have had many spinal surgeries under different consultants. In 2012 I Read the Rest...
This year The Rank Foundation have launched their brilliant enterprise programme ‘Profit for Good’ which is aimed at helping charities to improve their commercial opportunities and we’re thrilled to announce that our brand new project, Horatio’s Garden Tours, has been awarded a place on the scheme. The programme also includes a fully-funded place on both an enterprise-themed Action Learning Set, Read the Rest...
We’ve been overwhelmed by how many of you have been involved in our Fabulous Summer Tea Party Week, despite it being in its infancy! The latest stories have come from Christine Biondini, Olivia Hatrick, Jane Beresford and Ann and Clare Mannall, who threw Tea Parties in various places across the country this week. Having been signed up by her son, Read the Rest...
Recently appointed Head Gardener for Horatio’s Garden Oswestry, Imogen Jackson, has been warmly welcomed to her new home in Shropshire by the team at the Shropshire Star! The newspaper published an article all about Imogen today, introducing both her and the charity to the local community. The article tells the story of Horatio’s Garden, as well as detailing Imogen’s background Read the Rest...
Wednesday and Thursday were busy days for many people up and down the country as more Fabulous Summer Tea Party hosts welcomed their guests for a spot of afternoon tea. We heard from five of our fantastic hosts, who all had a brilliant time fundraising with family and friends whilst munching away on many scrumptious sweet treats! Jan Williamson held Read the Rest...
Artist in Residence, Miranda Creswell, has once again been busy for Horatio’s Garden, this year creating a Butterfly Table as part of her ‘Looking Out Glasgow’ project. Miranda, who works with archaeologists based at Oxford University as part of the EnglaID research group, has long-supported Horatio’s Garden. Her latest creative venture for the charity has taken her to the Oxford Museum of Natural Read the Rest...
As part of our continued celebration of Volunteers’ Week we would love to share Lillian’s volunteering story with you. She currently supports our Scotland Garden, and as you will see below, her experiences in Horatio’s Garden have been both humbling and incredibly rewarding. * I have only been at Horatio’s Garden for a matter of a few months in Read the Rest...
We would like to warmly welcome our brand new Oswestry Head Gardener, Imogen Jackson, to Horatio’s Garden! Imogen will be responsible for nurturing our fourth garden at the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries with the help of a brilliant group of local volunteers. As Imogen is a trained Horticultural Therapist she will also run the charity’s gentle garden therapy sessions, which offer weekly physical Read the Rest...
Yesterday we marked the launch of the Horatio’s Garden Fabulous Summer Tea Party week in style with two delightful afternoon teas; one at Longford Castle, and one at Hamptworth Lodge. Our patron, the Countess of Radnor, generously offered to host a tea party for over 50 guests at her home and it was the perfect start to our very first national fundraising Read the Rest...
Volunteers at Horatio’s Garden Salisbury, based in the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre of Salisbury District Hospital, were honoured on 2nd June 2019 with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. This is equivalent to a group MBE and is the highest award given to UK volunteer groups. As our Salisbury garden was the first to be opened back in 2012 many Read the Rest...
The May weather has largely been kind to us in Oswestry, meaning the on-site team have been able to continue doing brilliant work in order to have the garden ready for patients and their families later this summer. Since April even more trees have been planted and the garden is now beginning to look lusher than ever thanks to a Read the Rest...
The incredibly talented Glasgow City Voice Choir delighted patients and volunteers on Saturday 18th May with a very special performance the group prepared for Horatio’s Garden. With the weather taking a turn for the worse, the performance had to take place indoors instead of in the garden. However, the show must go on and everyone enjoyed an afternoon spent in Read the Rest...
On Monday 20th May we were delighted to welcome The Lord High Commissioner, His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch to Horatio’s Garden Scotland. Head Gardener Sallie, Volunteer Co-ordinator Yvonne, and a host of patients and volunteers were making the most of the sunshine in the garden, offering the Duke an authentic Horatio’s Garden experience. The whole team worked incredibly hard Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden have found their way into a few pieces of RHS Chelsea Flower Show press this year! Whilst we have yet to welcome any BBC filmmakers to the stand, our fabulous Scotland garden designer and committed supporter James Alexander-Sinclair did manage to subtly represent the charity in the channel’s primetime coverage on Tuesday evening. Having visited our Horatio’s Garden Read the Rest...
Trustee Victoria Holton and volunteer Lesley Walford, both of whom have been involved with the charity since the very beginning, were incredibly honoured this week to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace. The event was held by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to recognise the phenomenal achievements of volunteers throughout the UK, including our very own Horatio’s Garden team Read the Rest...
To celebrate the beginning of our week at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show we are today releasing our brand new Summer 2019 Newsletter! Click the PDF button on this page to read all about the first half of our year at Horatio’s Garden.
The National Garden Scheme’s Gardens and Health week is an annual event aiming to raise awareness of the physical and mental health benefits of gardens and gardening throughout the year. Speaking on behalf of the charity, CEO George Plumptre said “Championing the health benefits of gardens has been at the heart of our ethos since 1927”, which is also something Horatio’s Read the Rest...
Talented sculptor Alexander Macdonald-Buchanan has generously offered to loan his impressive piece ‘Energy’ to Horatio’s Garden Salisbury until October 2019. Alexander has been interested in ceramics and pottery since his school years, spending many years travelling far and wide to explore the art in greater depth. Having journeyed around potteries in Japan, the Far East and New Zealand he then Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden is a national charity that aims to improve the lives of everyone affected by spinal injury through creating and nurturing beautiful gardens. We grow thriving communities to support patients, their families and friends facing long stays in NHS hospitals. Horatio’s Garden: Regional Fundraiser Based: Stoke Mandeville, Aylesbury The charity is looking to appoint an experienced fundraiser to generate the Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden is delighted to announce the news that Princess Eugenie has become the charity’s Royal Patron. Her Royal Highness will be supporting the charity’s vision of bringing thriving gardens to all the UK’s regional spinal injuries centres. Having undergone surgery for scoliosis in 2002 at the age of 12, Princess Eugenie has had a small glimpse of how it Read the Rest...
ITV’s very own Lauren Hall recently visited Horatio’s Garden Salisbury to film as part of the network’s series ‘Blossoming Britain: How Gardening Helps Us To Grow’. The news item is part of a wider national initiative, RHS National Gardening Week, which this year runs from 30th April to 6th May. We were delighted to see that so much of what was filmed during the Read the Rest...
Thank you so much to Charlotte Crawley for organising an evening of wonderful floral fun for over 350 guests at Newbury Racecourse on Friday 26th April. The idea to host an event in support of Horatio’s Garden came to Charlotte following her spinal operations in the summer of 2017. With the support of her mother, Minty Crawley, and a brilliant committee, Read the Rest...
Gaze Burvill recently held their annual Chelsea Flower Show Preview Event on Saturday 27th April, helping to raise funds for Horatio’s Garden. The company have supported the charity since the very beginning and now their exceptional outdoor furniture and outstanding craftsmanship can be seen in each of our gardens throughout the UK. Guests had the opportunity to enjoy some light refreshments, whilst all Read the Rest...
Over the course of the April Bank Holiday weekend patients and their loved ones enjoyed the glorious sunny weather across the UK in each of our beautiful gardens. Thankfully the sun stayed shining throughout the four days, so everyone got the chance to partake in a variety of seasonal celebrations! On Good Friday Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville held their Easter Party which was a phenomenal success. Over 100 guests joined in with the fun Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden we’re delighted to hear the news that award-winning journalist and charity ambassador Melanie Reid very kindly featured the charity in her most recent article, which was published on Monday 15th April. After attending our Glasgow Drinks Party at Edrington last week, an event celebrating our loyal supporters, Melanie shared the charity’s vision and mission with her Times readers and offered her Read the Rest...
Consultant Orthopaedic and Spinal Surgeon David Chapple has featured in the Spring 2019 edition of Spinal Surgery News discussing his role as co-founder of Horatio’s Garden. His thoughtful interview offers the spinal surgical community an unparalleled insight into the profoundly positive effect each of our gardens has for patients and their families, as well as sharing a little more about the origins Read the Rest...
On Tuesday 2nd April Dr Olivia Chapple attended a reception hosted at Windsor Castle by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to mark the centenary of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). The evening held in the Grand Reception Room was an event which recognised Horatio’s Garden amongst the achievements of the voluntary sector throughout the last century. Olivia was delighted to meet Her Majesty Read the Rest...
Some wonderful stories have been shared with us recently from our Stoke Mandeville garden and art therapy groups, and we thought it would be lovely to offer everyone an insight into the wonderful difference Horatio’s Garden makes to patients on a daily basis. Four patients, Ted, Emerson, Alfie and Pauline have all been keen gardeners since discovering the space, and with the help Read the Rest...
We would like to express our immense gratitude to Henlle Park Golf Club, near Oswestry, for supporting Horatio’s Garden as their charity of the year. Men’s Captain Rob Smith and Women’s Captain Sue Sims recently presented Dr Olivia Chapple with a cheque at our Oswestry site having raised an incredible £7,060 for the charity. Rob also helped to support the club’s fundraising efforts by doing Read the Rest...
The British Association of Spine Surgeons recently held their BASS 2019 Conference in Brighton and Horatio’s Garden we’re delighted to be welcomed as the conference’s chosen charity. Between Wednesday and Friday this week co-founder and trustee David Chapple FRCS, Stoke Mandeville volunteer Nikki Blagg and Communications Intern Alex Geaney represented the charity at the conference, which focused on technological advances Read the Rest...
Sallie Sillars, Head Gardener for Horatio’s Garden Glasgow, recently welcomed BBC Radio Scotland reporter John Beattie to the garden to find out more about the charity and the support it offers to patients and their loved ones. John cycled to the garden to chat with two patients currently staying in the Scottish National Spinal Injuries Unit, as well as Head Read the Rest...
It was a privilege to welcome Karen Gardner from BBC Radio Wiltshire to Horatio’s Garden Salisbury bright and early on Tuesday 2nd April. Following the National Garden Scheme’s incredible donation of £75,000 to Horatio’s Garden London and the announcement that the organisation have committed to supporting our projects for the next ten years, Karen spoke to co-founder and head of trustees Dr Olivia Chapple to Read the Rest...
To sign-up to Give As You Live, please click HERE. To sign-up to AmazonSmile, please click HERE. Thank you so much to all those using Give as you Live to support Horatio’s Garden! Give as you Live is an entirely free way to raise money for Horatio’s Garden – all you have to do is sign-up, browse the Give as Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden is thrilled to announce that the Wild by Tart fundraising dinner, held in London on Wednesday the 27th of March, raised a phenomenal £296,000 for the London Garden capital appeal. The event was attended by 200 of the charity’s supporters and their guests, including Anneka Rice, Tom Stuart-Smith, Joe Swift and Frank Gardner. Dinner guests enjoyed the most sublime Read the Rest...
Sue Austin from the Shropshire Star takes a look at the latest developments at the Horatio’s Garden Oswestry site and puts a call out for people who are interested in signing up as volunteers to get in touch. Take a look at the piece on the Shropshire Star website here.
Horatio’s Garden Scotland enjoys the support of Digby Brown Solicitors and we were delighted when they were the winners of two titles at the 2019 Scottish Legal Awards in March. Digby Brown triumphed in Firm of the Year and Community Contribution categories. They were featured in a Scottish Legal Awards Supplement in The Times newspaper, and we were lucky to Read the Rest...
On March 27th the National Garden Scheme excitingly announced at London’s Royal Festival Hall that they are donating £75,000 to Horatio’s Garden London and announced a ten-year commitment to the charity and its projects. Co-founder and Head of Trustees Dr Olivia Chapple and long-time trustee Victoria Holton were present, along with celebrated garden designer Joe Swift who created the beautiful Horatio’s Garden at Stoke Mandeville. Read the Rest...
Listen again to the insightful and moving interview with Dr Olivia Chapple, broadcast this week on the BBC World Service, about Horatio Chapple and the extraordinary legacy he left behind in Horatio’s Garden. Click the link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07430py
We are thrilled to be able to announce the exciting live and silent auction lots on offer as part of our Wild by TART dinner, which is being held on Wednesday the 27th March. The evening will be attended by 230 influential guests who are gathering in the newly-opened TART London at Eccleston Place to raise funds for the capital appeal to build Read the Rest...
Our very own Sallie Sillars, Head Gardener for Horatio’s Garden Scotland, was present at the High School of Glasgow earlier this month when Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex made a special visit to meet pupils and staff involved in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards Scheme. High School of Glasgow pupils have been volunteering at Horatio’s Garden Scotland as part Read the Rest...
Head Gardener for Horatio’s Garden Scotland Sallie Sillars appeared on the much-loved Radio 4 programme Gardeners’ Question Time on Friday the 1st of March (repeated on Sunday the 3rd of March). Sallie showed Gardeners’ Question Time panellist Christine Walkden around the garden, and introduced her to patients who shared the incredible benefits of having beautiful outdoor spaces at spinal injury Read the Rest...
Last week the unseasonably warm February sunshine cast a beautiful spring glow across the site of Horatio’s Garden Oswestry, which is currently taking shape at the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries. Throughout the month the construction team have been working incredibly hard, and our fourth project is now really starting to resemble the garden that we have all long-imagined. The serpentine Read the Rest...
We are delighted to announce that we are once again looking forward to holding the Horatio’s Garden Secret Art Sale at our annual Chelsea Drinks Party, after the great success of the inaugural event last year – and we’re on the hunt for artists to help us! The Chelsea Drinks Party will take place at the National Army Museum from Read the Rest...
We are very excited to see that Spring is now well and truly on the way, with new shoots popping up in all our gardens. However, for those of you who love wintry weather, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at some snowy highlights! January certainly became that little bit more exciting when flurries of snowflakes began Read the Rest...
We would like to warmly welcome Alex Geaney to the office team here at the Horatio’s Garden. Whilst on her year-long placement as comms intern with us, Alex will be increasingly responsible for the charity’s external communications, which includes updating our website, managing the Horatio’s Garden social media accounts and coordinating our email newsletters and PR campaigns. Below is a Read the Rest...
We’re delighted to share the news that the building work at Horatio’s Garden Oswestry is well under way, with the steel frame of the garden room and the outline of planting beds and pathways starting to take shape. The recent wintery weather has proven to be no problem for the dedicated workers on site who have carried on turning the Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden Oswestry was a hive of activity recently when Dr Olivia Chapple and celebrated garden designer Bunny Guinness visited the site to receive a cheque from local representatives from the Shropshire Freemasons. The money was raised by the Shropshire Freemasons through the Masonic Charitable Foundation, which is funded by freemasons, their families and friends, from across England and Wales. Read the Rest...
We are delighted to announce that Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville is being generously supported by the Vale Lottery. The Vale Lottery was set up in 2015 by Aylesbury Vale District Council to support community projects in the area, allowing local people to support the causes they care most about. All you have to do is buy a £1 ticket weekly Read the Rest...
It is with great sadness that the Austin family announces the passing of David C. H. Austin Snr OBE VMH, rosarian and founder of David Austin Roses Ltd. David Snr died peacefully at his home in Shropshire on Tuesday 18th December 2018, surrounded by his family. He was 92.
Click to watch the Horatio’s Garden 2018 video. Thank you for all your support and help throughout 2018. Watch the video HERE
This week’s progress at Horatio’s Garden Oswestry.
On the 11th December 2018, Horatio’s Garden was so grateful to receive the runner up award for The Everyday Impact – Long Term Enterprises at a wonderful event, hosted by the Directory for Social Change Social Change Awards and held at the House of Lords, presented by The Lord Dannatt GCB CBE MC. Thank you to everyone who voted and Read the Rest...
Thank you to Cranborne Garden Centre for suppling Horatio’s Garden Salisbury with this gorgeous Christmas Tree. Decorated by volunteers it stands in the garden and can be seen from the Garden Room as well as those outside enjoying the garden.
Nothing says Christmas more than a beautiful festive wreath adorning a front door – but instead of buying a wreath, have you ever considered making one with materials found in your garden? Expert florist and National Garden Scheme Volunteer, Penny Snell CBE, gives her step-by-step guide on how to make a home-grown and wonderfully wild Christmas wreath. To make Penny’s Read the Rest...
Thank you to Tom from Forest and Fir for donating the most beautiful Christmas Tree to Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville. It has been fabulously decorated by our volunteers and takes pride of place in the Garden Room.
Support Horatio’s Garden by starting your shopping at Amazon Smile. Amazon Smile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service but it donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to the charitable organisation of your choice. Simply change the link in your browser and choose Horatio’s Garden to start supporting! Find out more HERE Read the Rest...
Supporters of Horatio’s Garden can raise free donations simply by shopping online using Give as you Live. Shop at over 4,100 leading online stores including Amazon, eBay, Tesco, John Lewis, Sainsbury’s, Just Eat and Booking.com, to name but a few! Give as you Live is a shopping and price comparison website that donates funds with every purchase to Horatio’s Garden. You can shop for products Read the Rest...
Thank you to the team from Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville for running the stall at the NSIC Christmas Fair. Thank you to everyone who came and supported us. You can still purchase gifts and stocking filler for Christmas online via our shop HERE.
Joe Swift chose the Venetian Hit & Miss fence panels to complement the design of Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville. You can read their blog HERE .
22/11/2018 On the 22nd November we celebrated a brilliant day at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust where the first dig for Horatio’s Garden Oswestry took place. We are so very grateful to the League of Friends to RJAH and their wonderful team of fundraisers across the region who have worked tirelessly to support the Read the Rest...
Kathy Hinde will be showing her work in Horatio’s Garden Salisbury. Kathy’s work grows from a partnership between nature and technology expressed through audio-visual installations and performances that combine sound, sculpture, image and light. She has shown work extensively across Europe, China, Pakistan, USA, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil and New Zealand. The work will be exhibited in the apple archway in Horatio’s Garden. It’s called Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville has very generously received a donation of some Kent & Stowe tools from Crest Garden Limited. Thank you very much for your fabulous donation, they’ll be a valuable asset to have!
Horatio’s Garden has been shortlisted for the Everyday Impact – Long Term Award for DSC’s 2018 Social Change Awards. The winner of the award is decided by public vote, so please help us by voting! The closing date is Friday 30th November. Please find the voting form HERE Please do share this among friends and family too, thank you for Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden is run by a board of trustees who give their time voluntarily. Their varying talents and experience help us to meet our charitable goals and objectives, whilst keeping the costs of running the charity to a minimum. Meet Catherine Burns. Catherine’s involvement with Horatio’s Garden stemmed from visiting a friend who was a patient in the Spinal Unit Read the Rest...
Ladies from Cathcart Castle Golf Club visited Horatio’s Garden Glasgow this week to hand over a cheque for £6550 ! This amazing amount was raised over the last year. Horatio’s Garden was the charity chosen by Lady Captain, Ann Blackwood. She used to visit the Spinal Unit when her brother in law Ewan Rice was a patient there. This was Read the Rest...
Horatio’s Garden is run by a board of trustees who give their time voluntarily. Their varying talents and experience help us to meet our charitable goals and objectives, whilst keeping the costs of running the charity to a minimum. Meet Bianca Roden. Bianca trained as a speech and language therapist and worked in various hospitals and schools with both adults and Read the Rest...
On 9th November Dr Olivia Chapple was interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Watch the short film HERE Find out more about each garden on our website
A huge thank you to Sainsbury’s branch in Braehead for supporting our milk, tea, coffee and biscuit supplies for the kitchen pod at Horatio’s Garden Scotland. Tea and cake afternoons will be well supported going forward! To find out more about the Scotland garden click HERE
Designer of our hugely popular and fast selling 2018 Christmas cards is Martha Solloway. Get to know Martha and her inspiration for her art below. “I am an artist and illustrator from Dorset and have studied art at both Kingston and Brighton Universities. I work from a wide range of subjects, which tend to revolve around my interest in people Read the Rest...
We need you! Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville has been chosen as one of the nominees for Waitrose in Aylesbury’s Community Matters Scheme. Simply visit the branch, at the checkout receive your token and choose your cause. The more tokens we get, the bigger the donation we receive. Thank you in advance. Read more HERE.
Head Gardener Jacqui and volunteers from Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville helped to support World Polio Day on the 24th October at Stoke Mandeville Stadium by joining with Wheel Power and Rotary GB & Ireland to plant 25,000 crocus corms to make the stadium look beautiful in Spring next year!
On the 18th October the volunteers from Horatio’s Garden Salisbury went to visit the newest Horatio’s Garden in Stoke Mandeville.
2KBW’s band, The Bar Mess, will be playing two ‘battle of the bands’ events for charity in November. The first event is at 7:15pm sharp on 7/11/18 at the 100 Club on Oxford Street (tickets £30). The band will be playing classic rock covers. Money raised will go to diverse charities such as Down’s Syndrome Association and Great Ormond Street Read the Rest...
Thank you to the group from East Renfrewshire U3A who came for a garden tour on the 25th September. An amazing £275 was raised throughout the day! If you are interested in coming for a visit to Horatio’s Garden Scotland please email Sallie (Head Gardener on sallie@horatiosgarden.org.uk
Thank you to everyone who attended the Edinburgh evening drinks event in support of Horatio’s Garden Scotland. It was a wonderful evening with special thanks to James Alexander-Sinclair for his speech.
https://soundcloud.com/smhr1575/mary-berry-interview
Spire FM featured Horatio’s Garden on their website following the opening of Stoke Mandeville. You can read the report here
On the 9th September 2018, the third Horatio’s Garden was officially opened by guest of honour Mary Berry. “Of course, a garden is never truly finished; it is an ever evolving story which will develop over the years with patients and our volunteers” – Garden designer Joe Swift. Going forward, Head Gardener Jacqui and her team of amazing volunteers will Read the Rest...
If you missed the coverage of the opening of Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville on the night it aired, you can watch it here!
Huge thanks to the Hospital Saturday Fund who have kindly donated £2,000 towards Horatio’s Garden Oswestry. Their donation will help to bring Horatio’s Garden to all the patients at the Midlands Centre for Spinal Injuries.
Many thanks to the Cornerstone volunteers for coming and lending a helping hand in Horatio’s Garden Scotland on 17th August.
Head Gardener at Horatio’s Garden Scotland, Sallie Sillars had a great morning showing Cathcart Castle Ladies Golfers around the garden this morning. We are also their charity of the year and they enjoyed seeing for themselves the garden and charities work that they are supporting. The ladies also all made a posy each from flowers in the garden to take Read the Rest...
Ben Barrell currently has three sculptures that will be exhibited in the garden until October 2018. They consist of ‘Swirl’, ‘Logan’ and ‘Crescent’. Find out more about Ben’s work and how nature has influenced his sculptures on his website here.
The garden in Stoke Mandeville is nearing completion. The third Horatio’s Garden, this space will serve patients at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire.
Sarah Hough is returning once again to Horatio’s Garden Salisbury as our Artist in Residence. An active member of the School of Landscape Painting and living and working in Devon she draws, paints and often ‘collects’ sound, while doing so she seeks to create work that evokes a feeling of being small in order to express the power and elemental forces Read the Rest...
During August 2017, the National Garden Scheme launched their first ever week dedicated to promoting the positive impact gardens can have on health and wellbeing. All of the gardens taking part opened free of charge for a small, private group of people who would not usually get the opportunity to enjoy a garden, or for whom garden visiting is not Read the Rest...
Sweet peas are in full bloom at Horatio’s Garden Scotland. Gorgeous scents are filtering through the air in the garden activity area and everything has taken on a beautiful freshness that only gardens can give. A real sensory for delight for all visitors and regular users of the garden.
Latest progress from Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville – the stunning 10-metre long bench has been installed with the beautiful teardrop-shaped stone carving at the end. The magnificent garden room has emerged from the scaffolding, ready for the next phase in its creation.
Open throughout the school holidays the National Garden Scheme have over 100 family-friendly gardens for you and your family to explore and enjoy! From miniature railways and fairy gardens, to farm animals and treasure trails the National Garden Scheme has gardens open across England and Wales. Find your perfect day out here.
Cleve West came for a visit around the garden in Salisbury this morning, to enjoy a walk around the planting and a catch up with Head Gardener Stephen Hackett.
As we are approaching the end of our final stages of the build at Stoke Mandeville, both designers came to see how progress was going. Joe Swift and Andrew Wells from 3W Architecture were on site all day to keep an eye on the planting and the building works going on. The greenhouse and garden room and taking shape nicely Read the Rest...
Pleased to update you all that the tarmac at the top end of the Stoke Mandeville Garden is now finished! Head Gardener Jacqui and her team are doing a fantastic job keeping all the plants watered and healthy while the building works carry on around them.