Combat Stress Therapeutic Garden for Hampton Court

The date for the build at Hampton Court has finally arrived and this week we have started the 'setting out' of the garden. This is the culmination of many months of planning and work, and although it is exhausting work and means staying up in London away from the family, it is also exhilarating.

The project was born a year ago last July when I was asked to look at the Combat Stress's residential site in Leatherhead. A large extension was being built and this had created a courtyard area that was in serious need of redesign and landscaping. The aim was to create a therapeutic garden for those undergoing treatment at the centre. It needed to be suitable for veterans undergoing occupational therapy and also a safe and comfortable environment to be enjoyed whilst on their own, with their families or with other veterans.

Once plans were drawn up, Combat Stress expressed their wish to share its unique qualities with a larger public, and so the journey to a Show Garden at Hampton Court began. We modified the design a little and submitted plans to the RHS for approval. When approval came through the real work began: to raise sponsorship to pay for it. I have been humbled and gladdened by the many efforts by companies and individuals to support this wonderful project – without them, the garden could not have come to fruition.

Unusually our garden started from a real garden with a real purpose, and that's where it will go once the Show is over. Not one plant will be lost or thrown away, but all will be carefully re-sited at the Combat Stress centre in Leatherhead to bring peace and inspiration to veterans affected by traumatic brain injury and other conditions. The Show presents Combat Stress and all the team working with us to bring the very special elements of a therapeutic garden to a broad public.

If you haven't booked your tickets yet for Hampton Court, I urge you to come along and see our garden and the many other Show gardens just emerging from the turf as I write this.