In 2020 the coronavirus pandemic put the world on hold. One of the key events in our calendar was the prestigious RHS Young Designer completion. This completion is run every year by the RHS and gives five garden designers who are under the age of 28 the opportunity to design and build a show garden at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show. We were selected as one of the 2020 finalists and were looking forward to bringing our design for a Mediterranean coastal garden to life at the show.

Unfortunately with the announcement of a national lockdown the RHS announced the cancelation of all their flower shows. We all got together on Zoom that evening to chat about the news. Then one of us came up with an idea what about doing a garden project together! After a lot of discussion we decided a garden at a NHS hospital would be a good idea. So we then set about emailing NHS trusts across London and the UK to see if we could find a site. After much deliberation we settled on a site at the Royal free Hospital in Hampstead.

The site leads off the staff canteen at the hospital and is the only outside space staff can use while at work as they can’t leave the hospital site in uniform. The space is particularly important as it is used by the staff, many of who will be suffering from PTSD from the pressure placed on the NHS and ITU during lockdowns. We hope that the renovated terrace will be a space they can relax, talk and meet. The space will also play a vital role in aiding the recovery and healing process they all need.

We are currently in the process of communicating with a structural engineer about the weight of our proposed design. More details will be announced in due course.

Collaborating with Max Parker-Smith, Freddie Strickland and Emilie Bausager. The new space will be constructed by the award winning landscaper Landform Consultants and the structural engineer Wareham & Associates.

We will be reaching out to industry partners to gift materials to help create the space. We will also be raising funds to help pay for labour and crane hire.

We are very exited to be working with a team of architects, cost consultants and structural engineers to bring the terrace to life. These include Ansell and Bailey, Wareham & Associates, WT partnership, Royal Free Capital Projects team and the Royal Free Charity.

Status: The scheme is currently going through planning with Camden council.

Date: March 2020 – present