The Greenfingers Charity has announced plans to transform an uplifting show garden from this year’s RHS Malvern Spring Festival (7th – 10th May, Three Counties Showground) into a permanent therapeutic space for children, families and carers at the James Hopkins Trust in Gloucester.
Designed by Tom Saunders, Jon Pilling and Dr Amie Wheeldon and sponsored by Pictorial Meadows, British Trust of Ornithology, Protect the Ands and Arthur Burns and Sons Stone Merchants, ‘Lifted by Birds’ is a nature-led garden inspired by the movement, rhythm and quiet beauty of British birdlife. Its design shows how a generic domestic space can be transformed into a richly-textured haven for birds, with habitats ranging from woodland edges to wetland pockets – all in once cohesive environment. While it will make its debut at Malvern, the garden has been conceived from the outset with a clear and purposeful legacy.
Following the show, the Greenfingers Charity will carefully dismantle, relocate and rebuild the garden at the James Hopkins Trust, creating a lasting outdoor sanctuary for children with life-limiting conditions, alongside their families and care teams.
This approach ensures the garden lives on well beyond the showground – not simply preserved but thoughtfully reimagined to deliver long-term therapeutic value in a hospice setting.
Boyd Douglas-Davies, Chairman of Greenfingers Charity, said: ‘Lifted by Birds’ perfectly captures what Greenfingers is here to do. It’s not just about creating beautiful gardens; it’s about ensuring those spaces go on to make a real difference.
“While the garden will undoubtedly inspire visitors at Malvern, its true purpose begins afterwards, as it is rebuilt at the James Hopkins Trust in Gloucester to provide a place of comfort, reflection and connection for the children and families supported there.”
A proven legacy beyond the showground
Creating lasting legacies from show gardens is not new for Greenfingers. The charity has a proven track record of ensuring complete gardens, or key elements within them, continue to have purpose long after events close.
Following last year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live, key elements from the show garden were relocated to two Greenfingers-supported hospice gardens at Acorns Children’s Hospice and Chestnut Tree House. Meanwhile, The Together Garden at RHS Flower Show at Wentworth Woodhouse began a new and profoundly meaningful chapter at Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, having been fully relocated to the hospice following the show.
Once complete, ‘Lifted by Birds’ will offer a rich, sensory environment designed to support wellbeing – combining naturalistic planting with wildlife-friendly features to create moments of calm, engagement and escape.
The project also reflects Greenfingers’ ongoing commitment to sustainability and legacy within horticulture, demonstrating how Show gardens can be repurposed and continue to deliver impact long after the festival gates close.
