Our Impact

Spinal cord injury can happen to anyone, at any time, and the results are life-changing, and devastating. There is currently no cure for spinal injury.

Approximately 4,700 people become spinal cord injured every year, joining a population of around 105,000 people already living with the condition across the UK.

On average, patients with spinal cord injuries will spend five months rehabilitating at a specialist centre. Many will be isolated from their families, often far from home and confined to a ward with little or no access to the benefits of the outside world. Horatio’s Garden is changing that.

We regularly measure impact as part of our commitment to deliver evidence-based projects.

Here are some of the ways we’re changing people’s lives after spinal injury.

88%

of people with a spinal injury said the garden made them feel less lonely

83%

of people with a spinal injury said the garden made them feel more independent

98%

of visitors said the garden improved the chance to have important conversations

96%

of NHS staff agree that all patients who use the garden benefit from it

99%

of NHS staff believe the garden helps some patients gain improved functional independence

91%

of NHS staff say the garden is beneficial to their own mental health

(source: Horatio’s Garden Impact Report 2025/6)

View our Horatio’s Garden Impact Report 2024-25

95%

of people with a spinal injury noticed a reduction in stress during gardening sessions

92%

of people with a spinal injury found a distraction from their pain as a result of taking part in arts workshops

72%

of people with a spinal injury felt gardening sessions strengthened or helped refine hand or arm muscles

average number of miles travelled by visitors to the spinal centre

(source: Impact Report 2024/25)

Where we work

Please click on the map to view it in fullscreen

South West

Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre, Salisbury

Scotland

Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit, Glasgow

Stoke Mandeville

National Spinal Injuries Centre, admitting patients including children from across the UK

Midlands

The Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries, Oswestry

London & South East

London Spinal Cord Injury Centre, London

Wales

The Welsh Spinal Cord Injury and Neuro Rehabilitation Centre, Cardiff

Northern Ireland

The Spinal Cord Injuries Unit, Belfast

North

The Golden Jubilee Regional Spinal Cord Injuries Centre, Middlesbrough

North West

North West Regional Spinal Injuries Centre, Southport

Yorkshire

Yorkshire Regional Spinal Injuries Centre, Wakefield

Sheffield & East

Princess Royal Spinal Cord Injuries Centre, Sheffield

Regional spinal injury centre with a Horatio’s Garden

Regional spinal injury centre with a Horatio’s Garden in Progress

Regional spinal injury centre with future plans for a Horatio’s Garden

“Horatio’s Garden has given me a safe place to go to, either by myself or with my family when they visit. I enjoy going to the garden to do activities with other patients, or to just sit and think when I’ve got a lot on my mind. It has made me so much happier, especially because I can go out there and be independent.”

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