St Cuthbert’s Hospice to receive Chelsea Flower Show garden in 2025

The Hospice UK Garden of Compassion will celebrate the important role of hospice gardens in end-of-life care. The garden will be created by award-winning designer Tom Hoblyn and is sponsored by Project Giving Back, a charity that funds ‘gardens for good causes’ at Chelsea.

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which takes place in May, is one of the most famous gardening events in the world, having run for over 100 years. Following the show, the garden will be relocated to St Cuthbert’s Hospice to become a permanent place of compassion for patients, guests, staff and volunteers to enjoy.

The garden is inspired by Olive Houses in Mallorca, where purple-hued ‘houses’ are built around monumental, craggy boulders. The Garden of Compassion will focus on ‘connecting to nature’ and a blend of natural materials and carefully selected plants will evoke the essence of a Mediterranean landscape.

Whilst the initial inspiration may be Mediterranean, many aspects of the garden, including its materials, will be as local as possible. Tom has researched the region and will incorporate design elements inspired by the River Wear and Cuthbert’s Moor in the North Pennines. The climate in Durham has been considered for the choice of materials and plants that will feature.

A variety of pathways will encourage exploration and connection, creating a tranquil journey through each distinct space. Each room will serve a unique purpose, allowing users to engage with the garden in a personal and meaningful way.

Accessibility has been at the forefront of the design. Both a wheelchair and a hospice bed can be wheeled right through the garden. We know that patients at the end of life often express a wish to enjoy the outdoors in their final days, something which has guided Tom during his design process. The garden will feature spaces which allow privacy. The sustainability of the materials used will mean the garden will weather well for years to come.

John Eggleston, a volunteer gardener at St Cuthbert’s for the past 13 years, shared this with us when talking about the incredible news:

“In my first few weeks of volunteering at St Cuthbert’s Hospice, I met a patient on the veranda which overlooks the space where the garden will be replanted. He’d been helped outside to enjoy the view and said to me: ‘you know what mate, I know I’ve not got long left and I just want to spend my last days looking at these gardens’.

“Those words have stayed with me. I know the garden is going to mean so much to people here. We’re all absolutely over the moon and it’s going to be a real pleasure to help maintain this special garden that many people will enjoy for years to come.”

Read more about the garden on our Chelsea Flower Show Garden page and sign up to our newsletter using the form below