Chelsea gold-winning garden to find a lasting home at Amersham Hospital
The ‘Room to Breathe Hospital Garden’, created by Amersham Hospital garden volunteers, Jen Donnelly and Catherine Gibbon, has won a prestigious Gold Medal in the Container Gardens category at this year’s
Chelsea Flower Show. Following the show, the garden will be permanently relocated to Amersham Hospital, part of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, but the team urgently needs public support to fund the preparations needed at the chosen site and enable the move.
The garden, inspired by Jen’s own experience as a parent of a child with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), is a heartfelt tribute to families navigating the emotional challenges of hospital life. It was conceived as a therapeutic space offering solace, beauty, and a moment of calm amid the often intense atmosphere of medical settings.
Now, Jen and Catherine plan to rehome the garden in an unused courtyard at Amersham Hospital, transforming it into a sanctuary for patients, carers, and NHS staff. However, there are costs involved in preparing the courtyard, moving, and reconstructing the garden in its new home.
The Trust, together with Jen and Catherin, would love to raise £10k to help make this happen. There is a dedicated fundraising page on the Trust’s Charitable Funds Just Giving page, and the public is invited to contribute.
“We are thrilled that our garden has received such recognition at Chelsea,” said Jen Donnelly. “But the true reward will be seeing it become a lasting refuge for families like mine. With public support, we can make this legacy a reality.”
Catherine Gibbon added, “Our volunteer work at Amersham Hospital has shown us just how vital green spaces are in clinical environments. With your help, we can give this garden a permanent home where it will make a meaningful difference every day.”
Neil Macdonald, Chief Executive of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Jen, Catherine, and everyone involved in this inspiring project. Their generosity and vision will bring lasting benefits to our patients, visitors and our Trust colleagues. Creating a beautiful, calming space within the hospital will not only support wellbeing, but also strengthen the sense of community care we value so deeply. We hope the public will help us in making this a reality.”
For more information about the garden and its story, visit: www.roomtobreathegarden.com