Growability at Chelsea 2008

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rowability are planning to enter a courtyard garden in the Chelsea Flower Show in 2008. This garden is being designed, built and planted by staff and service users at our three horticultural units.

Watch this page for our progress.

*      Visiting Chelsea Flower Show in 2005

*      Selling the idea / selling the design

*      Visiting Chelsea Flower Show in 2006

*      Design ideas to final design

*      Fund raising

*      Building the trial gardens

*      Growing the plants

*      Publicity

*      Planning

*      Visiting Chelsea Flower Show in 2007

*      Applying in October 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visiting Chelsea Flower Show in 2005

May 2005

 

John McKee & Clive Moon visit the Chelsea Flower Show & return with 130 photos, ideas and inspiration. A very simple but beautifully presented courtyard garden by Fittleworth Horticultural Society encourages us that Growability could design, construct and plant a successful garden. They also give us some helpful advice. The gardens are all quite accessible in the morning, before the crowds build up. We enjoy a relaxing lunch in the shady picnic area.

 

If we are bringing a group here in 2006, then the morning would be the best time to come.

 

Right: Kim Wilde’s “Cumbrian Fellside Garden.

We thought it was a worthy gold medal winning courtyard garden, demonstrating how much is possible in such a small space.

 

 

 

Below: Fittleworth Horticultural Society’s garden has a simple design, but is packed with beautiful plants, and uses materials local to Fittleworth.

 

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Presentations – selling the idea

Presentations – using images of previous Chelsea Flower Shows, plus images of Northumberland – were given at each of the Units on 16th, 17th and 24th January 2006. The presentations gave an introduction to the Chelsea Flower Show, invited people to imagine the benefits of a successful entry, introduced the theme of our garden (Northumberland), and outlined ways that staff and service users can help to make the vision of a Growability garden at Chelsea in 2008 into a reality. Ideas for the design were asked for from everyone, with a display of these ideas to be made at the Unit up to 17th February 2006, when a final design will be made from them.

Presentations – selling the design

Presentations – of Amanda’s design – were given at each of the Units in September 2006. The design has drawn upon the ideas which everyone submitted earlier in the year. There was general approval of the design, and agreement that it achieves a successful representation of Northumberland. There was a lot of discussion about how we are going to go about building this garden at our three trial plots, and where we are going to source the materials, which include some local stome.

 

 

Visiting Chelsea Flower Show 2006

 

The trip to Chelsea Flower Show in May 2006 for 14 people left Northumberland on Tuesday 23rd May 2006. The group visited Kew Gardens on Wednesday, and the Flower Show on Thursday, 25th May 2006. The group returned exhausted but still wanting to have a go at entering the Show. Feedback from this trip was influential: we have since revised the timescale of our entry, and are planning to enter in 2008 rather than 2007.

 

Visiting Chelsea Flower Show 2007

 

Revising the timescale makes another trip to Chelsea possible before our entry is submitted. We are planning to take another group down to Chelsea in May 2007

 

 

Design

 

January – February 2006

Ideas coming in thick and fast at all three Units following the presentations in January, with a great deal of enthusiasm from service user and staff. The ideas – which range from one or two words, to pictures, to carefully drawn plans – are being displayed on a wall at each Unit. We’re still working on selecting an external designer to create the final design.

 

March – April 2006

Amanda Younger, an enthusiastic volunteer at the Units, visits each Unit in turn to collect all the design ideas. Amanda produces a number of drawings, one of which is shown below.

Jennifer Lauruol, a garden designer based in Lancaster, visits Ridley Hall. She will produce a design based on Amanda’s drawings and our ideas.

May – June 2006

Jennifer is working on the design, visiting Sleekburn HTU in May. Some of us meet Jennifer at Howick Hall Gardens on May 21st for a walk through the gardens and along the coast, seeking inspiration for the design.

June – August 2006

Jennifer and Amanda both produced more drawings. We have decided that we can now use these to construct our trial gardens, adding more detail, particularly in the planting plan, as the gardens evolve over the next six months.

August – September 2006

Ann Brown produced a slightly revised version of Amanda’s most recent drawing, and this is being used as the plan from which to construct the garden. Amanda is working on some perspective sketches of the completed garden. The design was presented to each of the three Units in September 2006, and to the management committee. Construction has been discussed and we are currently seeking a source of stone for the garden. The Units also have the task of further developing the planting list.

 

Fund raising

 

 

February – December 2006

Growability launched the Chelsea appeal in the week of the 2006 Chelsea Flower Show, approaching individuals and businesses to ask if they would be willing to sponsor a Growability garden at Chelsea in 2008. We would expect that a successful entry could create considerable media interest. Our garden could therefore be an attractive proposition. We will ensure that appropriate mention is made of all our sponsors in our publicity before, during and after the show.

It is estimated that we need raise £30,000 to cover our costs. These include plants and materials, transport for plants and materials, design costs, publicity material, transport and accommodation for a group of 14 people for two weeks.

Fund raising events 2006

We are holding a series of fund raising events within our Units over the summer, including a sponsored bike ride, sponsored walks, bag packing at a local supermarket, etc.

  1. Sponsored walk at Sleekburn – June 2006 – raised £705.00
  2. Bird box and card sales at Hepscott Park: raised £460.00
  3. Cricket match between 3 Units at Longhirst Hall – 27th June 2006 – raised £126.00
  4. Sponsored walk at Hepscott Park – 3rd July 2006 – raised £120.00
  5. Social evenings at Sleekburn in June, July & August – raised £120.00
  6. Sponsored walk & cream tea at Ridley Hall – 6th August 2006 – raised £750.00
  7. Bag packing at Marks and Spencer’s, Metrocentre – 28th August 2006 – raised £1,512.33
  8. Sponsored “3 Units” bike ride (52 miles) – 10th September 2006: Thanks to all 30 people who took part on the day (9 cyclists and 21 helpers). The ride has raised 702.00 so far.
  9. Prize Bingo evening at Bellingham: Thanks to all those people in and around Bellingham who organised, helped, gave prizes or attended the prize bingo evening on Friday, 22nd September 2006. There were 101 people playing, and the evening raised an impressive £828.20.
  10. Donations during this period:
  11. Great North Run – 1st October 2006: Jill Porter ran for us and raised £120.00

 

 

705.00

460.00

 

126.00

 

 

120.00

120.00

 

750.00

 

1512.33

 

 

702.00

 

 

 

 

828.20

110.00

120.00

Total raised so far:

£5,553.00

How to sponsor the Growability entry, or to send a donation:

Anyone reading this interested in sponsoring the Growability garden should contact Clive Moon by email:         or by phone: 07990793453 and he will provide more information. If you would like to send us a cheque, please make it payable to Growability, and send it to Clive Moon, Growability, c/o Sleekburn HTU, West Sleekburn Farm, Bomarsund, Bedlington, Northumberland. NE22 7AD. Money raised will go towards funding the Chelsea garden, and we will send sponsors our accounts. If we are unsuccessful in being selected for the 2008 show we will return money to sponsors. Money we are unable to return we will use to further the work of Growability in creating employment opportunities for adults with learning disabilities.

 

Building the trial gardens

Three sites have been identified: one at each of the three Units. The plots are currently marked out and levelled and waiting for construction to start

 

 

Plants: selection and production

 

Publicity

 

Planning

 

The Show Garden – after May 2008

 

The Growability “Northumberland” garden will go to a permanent public location after the Chelsea flower Show in May 2008. We are currently looking at a site adjacent to the library in the centre of Bedlington.

 

 

 

 

Page last updated: 02/11/2006