Horatio’s Garden at Salisbury Hospital to open to visitors

Horatio’s Garden at the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre at Salisbury District Hospital will open to the public on Sunday 17th July to help raise funds for the charity.

This will be the first time the garden has been open to visitors in support of the National Garden Scheme since 2019 as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The garden has been specifically designed for patients in wheelchairs and hospital beds, therefore it is fully accessible, with the horticultural haven offering something for everyone.

There will be homemade tea and cake available in the garden room too with all the proceeds from refreshments going to Horatio’s Garden.

Horatio’s Garden South West was designed by six-time RHS Chelsea Gold Medal Winner, Cleve West, and opened in 2012. The garden was the first Horatio’s Garden to be created from donations given in memory of Horatio Chapple.

Horatio was a volunteer at the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre in Salisbury District Hospital when he first had the idea of creating a garden for patients with spinal injuries, who often spent many months in hospital with little to no access to the outside world.

Tragically, Horatio was killed at the age of 17. His parents, Olivia and David, continued his fundraising efforts and have since gone on to establish Horatio’s Garden as their son’s thriving legacy.

Inspired by Horatio’s original idea, the sanctuary was thoughtfully created to support people as they physically and mentally adjust to living with a life-changing spinal cord injury. Everything is of high quality and the garden is designed to be a home away from home for people facing a long hospital stay far from their loved ones.

In the ten years since the first garden opened here in Salisbury, the charity has opened five more gardens, with its most recent garden – Horatio’s Garden Wales – opening in April 2022. The charity’s mission is to build a beautiful, therapeutic garden in each of the 11 NHS spinal injury centres in the UK and is currently fundraising for its seventh garden; Horatio’s Garden Northern Ireland.

To visit Horatio’s Garden, admission costs £5 per adult and children are welcome for free. To ensure the safety of both patients and NHS staff, pre-booking is essential. Please remember to bring your ticket with you.

Book your tickets here.

Featured image by Clive Nichols.