A leading disability charity is preparing to make Chelsea Flower Show history by creating an acoustic garden for the showpiece event.

Papworth Trust is working with world famous solo percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie on their ‘Together We Can’ garden, celebrating the charity’s inclusive vision for disability.

It will be the first time the RHS Chelsea Flower Show has hosted an acoustic garden, which has taken the concept of a sensory and accessible outdoor space to a new level with Papworth Trust and Dame Evelyn hoping the project will raise awareness of inclusivity and act as a legacy for both disabled people and gardeners alike.

Helen Fairhurst, senior marketing manager from Papworth Trust, said: “This is a unique project for both the Chelsea Flower Show and our charity and it is incredible to see the excitement the garden is already creating and the difference it can make to the people we work with.

“Our excitement is shared by Dame Evelyn who has always wanted to reach as many people as possible with her music.”

Dame Evelyn said: “One of my aims is to show that you can create music from almost anything. But the bigger legacy will be if we can recreate the concept of this type of garden in other public spaces.

“I want to create several sound-scape gardens for people to visit and enjoy and to show that wonderful gardens don’t just grow, they actually grow aurally as well.”

The garden will be unveiled at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show between Tuesday 24 May and Saturday 28 May.

Features include a water marimba which will transform the garden into a musical instrument amid a backdrop of natural woodland copse, interwoven with features that evoke the equipment of a recording studio. The overall form of the garden will also be reminiscent of the structure of the ear.
Dame Evelyn said: “I wanted to use the subtleties of the garden and the elements of nature to bring together something that is around us and part of our everyday life.

“I want people to look at the garden and see and feel an orchestra and then look at their garden or other gardens with a different viewpoint.
“We will have a water feature which is not so unusual as water itself creates its own sounds. You can get particular types of rhythms from many garden objects while I will also use as many natural products as possible. I have not been to Chelsea before so I am very excited to be part of it.”

Dame Evelyn, who is profoundly deaf, said she was delighted to work with Papworth Trust, admitting she shared common goals with the charity around inclusiveness and the ‘Together We Can’ message.
She explained: “I have always admired Papworth Trust. The ethos and aims of the charity have always been very powerful. It is an organisation that gets things done and makes a difference.”
Also working on the project will be renowned Chelsea gold medal designer, Peter Eustance, and students from Brunel University.

Dame Evelyn added: “It is great working with the students who have brought in a technological aspect to enhance the sounds and make people aware and experience the subtleties of the garden.”