Chelsea show garden to feature at UK festivals
The Samaritans Listening Garden, which debuted at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May, is now being reimagined for festivals. It will travel around the UK this summer in partnership with the Samaritans Festival Branch, including a trip to this weekend’s Latitude music and art festival.
Since Festival Branch’s inception in 1973, volunteers have attended around 550 festivals to date, providing support to almost 2,000 festival goers across 16 festivals in 2022.
The Samaritans’ show garden was awarded a Silver Gilt medal at Chelsea this year, with its planting and hard landscaping designed to create a calming environment, to encourage visitors to sit, reflect and listen.
A re-imagined version of the garden will attend this weekend’s Latitude Festival as part of its post-show purpose, a requirement for all RHS show gardens this year.
Darren Hawkes, the garden’s designer and listening volunteer, says: “Latitude is just one part of Samaritans Listening Garden’s legacy. As well as travelling to Eisteddfod in Wales next month, elements of the original garden will be relocated to a number of our branches this year, such as Taunton and Plymouth.
“Our core message that listening can save lives will be reaching more and more communities as time goes on and I personally can’t wait to work on its relocation at my own branch in Truro next year.”
Samaritans Listening Garden designed by Darren Hawkes Landscapes at Chelsea Flower Show London – May 2023 – sponsor Project Giving Back. Photography by Stephen Studd photographer
A remodelled version of the show garden will be permanently relocated at a Samaritans branch where it will continue to inspire and provide a safe haven for those who need it.