To apply, please send your CV and one page covering letter to Head Gardener Matthew Lee by emailing matthew.lee@horatiosgarden.org.uk We are seeking a friendly, organised, part-time administrator, to provide support to the Head Gardener at Horatio’s Garden Northern Ireland, at the Spinal Cord Injuries Unit, Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast. This is the charity’s seventh and newest garden, designed by nine-time RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner, Andy Sturgeon. Horatio’s Garden is a nationwide charity creating and nurturing beautifully designed gardens in NHS spinal injury centres. The be ..read more

Horatio’s Garden London & South East is grateful for the donation of £6,853.64 provided to the charity by the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Charity. The RNOH Charity works to strengthen the important work of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, home of Horatio’s Garden London & South East, by funding services and facilities in addition to those provided by the NHS. The money will be used to fund a new gardening trolley and wood shredder, alongside regular garden expenses such as soil, compost, maintenance, fixtures and fittings. Discussing the donation Ashley, Head Gardener o ..read more

On 21 April 2024, Telford-based Dan Braddock will run the TCS London Marathon in support of Horatio’s Garden. Dan was inspired to take part in the marathon by his father, who has a personal connection with the charity. After experiencing a spinal injury, Dan’s father spent almost a year rehabilitating in the world-renowned Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic, where he and his family first discovered Horatio’s Garden. With visiting limited by lockdown restrictions, the garden was an immense source of support not only for Dan’s dad, but for his mum too ..read more

Ulster Rugby have been the official charity partner of Horatio’s Garden Northern Ireland throughout the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons, raising over £12,000 for the charity to date. All the money raised has been thanks to generous donations from supporters at the team’s matches, as well as staff, player, and supporters’ clubs fundraising. The team’s incredible support has helped to bring Horatio’s Garden Northern Ireland to life in the Spinal Cord Injuries Unit at Musgrave Park Hospital in Belfast. The Ulster Rugby community’s extraordinary generosity has also helped to ensure the garden can cont ..read more

Founder of Horatio’s Garden, Dr Olivia Chapple has been appointed to the role of High Sheriff of Wiltshire. This is an independent and non-political position appointed by the monarchy for one year. During her official Declaration ceremony and celebration at St John the Baptist Church in Bishopstone, near Salisbury, Dr Chapple shared that she will focus on encouraging people to connect with nature during her term. Dr Chapple said: “I feel honoured to have become High Sheriff of Wiltshire and I am really looking forward to the year ahead. It will be a pleasure to meet and thank all the extraordi ..read more

We recently welcomed Martha Lane Fox to Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville, ahead of her inspirational challenge of climbing the three highest peaks in the UK to raise money for several charities including Horatio’s Garden. A leading businesswoman, philanthropist, and public servant, Martha Lane Fox has been a cross bench peer in the House of Lords since March 2013, at which point she was its youngest female member. She is currently President of the British Chambers of Commerce, Chancellor of the Open University, and Chairman of Lucky Voice, a company that she co-founded. In 2004, Martha was in ..read more

Paul’s story begins in a hotel in October 2023. Whilst a previous shoulder injury had left him vulnerable to further health challenges, he never imagined that a simple fall from a stool would leave him unable to walk. Having lived in Belfast for many years working as a public sector accountant, Paul was familiar with the Royal Victoria Hospital and Musgrave Park Hospital, but never thought he would face a time when he would call these hospitals home. After being admitted to the Royal Victoria Hospital for initial treatment in October, Paul was transferred to continue his rehabilitation at the ..read more

Patients, families and NHS staff in Horatio’s Garden London & South East recently enjoyed a glass fusing workshop, kindly run by glass artist Suzanne Raffellini. The session focused on making fused glass suncatchers. Patients learned how to use glass breaking tools, before combining pieces of glass into stunning suncatchers, playing with colour and shape to produce their final artistic pieces. The session was run as part of the Horatio’s Garden Arts Programme, which launched across the gardens in 2021. Research conducted by Horatio’s Garden has shown the benefits of artistic activities for ..read more

Today is International Women’s Day, the theme of which is ‘Inspire Inclusion’. International Women’s Day is a chance to celebrate women’s achievements while raising awareness of the struggles which preceded them, and which continue to make women’s lives more challenging across the world. Until relatively recent history, women were excluded from working in horticulture, with the first women enrolling as gardeners at Kew in 1896. Since then, a wide range of talented female gardeners have changed the face of the gardening community. This International Women’s Day, we would like to highlight some ..read more

New research published by the National Garden Scheme has found that braving the cold to visit a garden in winter can significantly improve your wellbeing!   Conducted by environmental psychologist Dr Emma White, the study found that wintertime visitors to National Garden Scheme gardens reported significantly improved wellbeing. The more time spent in the garden, the greater the impact, with guests reporting feeling relaxed, happy, uplifted and hopeful.  While visiting a garden in the summer also improves wellbeing, Dr White’s research suggests that visiting in winter can be even more ..read more