The Spark behind our chelsea Garden

The Spark Behind Our Chelsea Garden

Sometimes, the most extraordinary ideas begin in the most ordinary moments. For us, it started with a message from Emily Plane - a beautiful, bright light who was treated by our Medical Director, Professor John Butler, and loved deeply by our founders.

After visiting the Chelsea Flower Show in 2023, Emily sent a note that stopped us in our tracks. She’d seen a garden created for a hospital and wrote about how powerful it felt - how she imagined something similar could transform the experience for women going through treatment at The Royal Marsden. She remembered sitting in their garden years before and wishing it was a place that truly brought calm and comfort. “I just can’t stop thinking about how much joy and calmness it would bring patients,” she wrote.

Emily’s message planted a seed. Though she is no longer with us, her words stayed in our hearts and quietly grew. Two years later, they have blossomed into something truly special - the Lady Garden Foundation’s first ever Chelsea Flower Show garden, a space that celebrates women’s strength, health, and resilience.

This garden is for every woman, like Emily, whose courage inspires change.

Read Emily’s Story here - https://www.ladygardenfoundation.com/patientchampions/blog-emily-plane-2m9c2