Northolt School's Garden Features at Chelsea Flower Show
Wellbeing garden to be relocated to Viking Primary
The Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden with Kate Silverton and Jamie Butterworth
A wellbeing garden designed by an Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) horticulturalist is being displayed at the Chelsea Flower Show before being relocated to a school in Northolt.
Pupils from Viking Primary School in London joined broadcaster and author Kate Silverton at the Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden at the flower show to celebrate their new garden.
The garden is the first to be designed by RHS Ambassador and horticulturist, Jamie Butterworth, with input from pupils, through their school’s partnership with children’s mental health charity, Place2Be in partnership with investment manager Sarasin & Partners.
The children enjoyed their trip to the flower show, and even made their own bespoke headwear for the special occasion, on the theme of nature and wellbeing.
They spoke to Kate Silverton about their involvement in the garden design, as well as ways that they look after their own mental health.
One pupil, Millie, 8, said “It was really calm and peaceful. The plants are very big, too!”
Another pupil, Samuel, 9, said, “It was very fun, and the plants were very colourful. I’m excited for the plants to come to my school”
Paris, 9, said, “I’ve enjoyed being here with my friends and spending time with others, and meeting new people. I really like the garden a lot. It was really fun because everybody loves it, and I really think the people back at school will like it as well.”
Situated on Royal Hospital Way, the Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden is a space that aims to facilitate and stimulate conversation as well as being a safe and peaceful spot, where children can feel calm and are able to talk, while also taking in the beauty of plants and being outside.
Research conducted in Denmark and published in Environmental Education Research found that spending time in a school garden can promote pupils’ wellbeing and positively affect their self-esteem.
The schoolchildren during their visit to the Chelsea Flower Show
After the Chelsea Flower Show, with support from Sarasin & Partners, the garden will be relocated within the Viking Primary School grounds.
The garden includes an intimate, sunken seating area with large, bespoke, oak seats to enable people to sit and talk. Informal and mixed planting strives to create a soothing and intimate space. The dappled tree canopy at the rear and sides incorporates Cornus, Zelkova, Parrotia and Carpinus, underplanted with a restrained palette of woodland species of shrubs and perennials. The front of the garden will feature topiary and a selection of perennials and grasses, providing both texture and screening to the seating area. The choice of trees provides intimacy and enclosure to the space.
Jamie Butterworth, Managing Director of Form Plants and designer for the garden, said, “It was really important to me that this garden creates a space to stimulate and facilitate conversations, a space for children to be able to share whatever is on their minds. On a personal level, as the child of a primary school teacher and a mental health nurse, I really understand the importance of nurturing wellbeing. Gardening has such a huge impact on our mental health, and it’s been amazing to work with the pupils at Viking in recent months, to hear all their ideas and to see them literally getting their hands dirty and sowing seeds. Engaging with nature is so important, and that’s what this garden is all about.”
Catherine Roche, CEO of Place2Be, added, “It’s so wonderful to see the pupils from Viking Primary enjoying the garden that they have helped to create. We know from our frontline work in schools that many children and young people struggle with mental health problems. Spending time outdoors and in nature has a hugely beneficial impact on wellbeing, and we are thrilled to be able to provide this opportunity for one of our long-standing partner schools. Huge thanks to Sarasin & Partners and the very talented Jamie Butterworth, who have made it all possible.”
Guy Matthews, CEO of Sarasin & Partners, said, “Our support for Place2Be over the last two years has culminated in the creation of the Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden, which we hope will highlight the importance of sustainability and securing a future for the planet and the next generation. Our philosophy of ‘securing tomorrow’ resonates with the charity’s goal to secure children’s futures – especially for those at Viking Primary School who will enjoy the garden for years to come”
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May 26, 2022