Salisbury charity Horatio's Garden wins top award at Chelsea Flower Show

The garden designed by the cause has been named 'Best in Show'

Horatio's Garden won Best In Show at the 2023 RHS Chelsea Flower Show for its fully accessible garden
Author: Faye TryhornPublished 24th May 2023

The first ever fully accessible garden designed at the Chelsea Flower Show, by Salisbury charity Horatio's Garden, has been named 'Best in Show'.

The coveted top award at the RHS event follows a Gold Medal also awarded to the show garden.

The designers of the Horatio's Garden site are awarded Best in Show at Chelsea

Horatio's Garden has featured at Chelsea for a few years now, to highlight their work creating outdoor spaces for spinal injuries patients to use and enjoy.

The first therapy garden was launched by the charity at Salisbury District Hospital's Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre in 2012.

There are eight other Horatio's Gardens across the country now.

The Chelsea garden will be relocated to Sheffield after the show to become the country's 8th Horatio's Garden

Dr Olivia Chapple, Founder and Chair of Trustees, Horatio’s Garden said:

“To be presented with the Best in Show award feels incredible. We are so grateful to Project Giving Back for this wonderful opportunity and Harris Bugg Studio for pushing the boundaries and creating such a thoughtful, pioneering and exquisite garden. This will have such an important legacy in improving the lives of thousands of people in Sheffield and every donation helps us reach our target to make this garden a reality.”

Salisbury's head gardener Lucy Thorpe has joined the team at Chelsea this week, to help create the garden for judging. |newtab)

The team from Horatio's Garden celebrate their success as Chelsea's Best in Show!

Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg from Harris Bugg Studio, who put the Chelsea garden together said:

“We are so delighted to win both a gold medal and Best in Show for this garden. From the very start, the charity’s mission really spoke to us. Connecting people with nature is at the heart of everything we do at Harris Bugg Studio and this garden reflects all the stories and needs of the people we spent months listening to before even picking up a pencil to design.

"This garden is a story of people coming together to make something very special. From the inspiring individuals that make up the transformative community that is Horatio’s Garden to all the dedicated and talented people that worked with us to create the garden - from the contractors to the skilled British craftspeople to the horticulturalists and planting team - the spirit of all of those people made this gold medal a reality.”

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