Chelsea win for South West not-for-profit
A Bristol-based not-for-profit social enterprise won a silver medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for its garden focussing on mind, body and nature.
Natural Academy, based in Pill, which provides accredited training to individuals and organisations in ecopsychology and nature-based practices, won the award in partnership with one of its students, Emilie Griffin.
The garden’s centrepiece was an outdoor classroom in the form of a mini roundhouse and the concept is now being recreated at the Natural Academy training centre at Ham Green House, Pill.
Designer Emilie is currently taking an advanced pathway course with Natural Academy, to gain accreditations in delivering nature-based therapies.
She is a horticultural manager at the Blue Tangerine Federation, a group of schools for children with special educational needs in Hertfordshire. Emilie designed five gardens in one, paying tribute to the five senses and the five pathways to nature connection – touch, taste, smell, sound and sight. Children from the school grew 70% of the plants used.
Michéal Connors, Director of Natural Academy, said: “We were delighted when our student Emilie asked us to come on board and help create the garden entry for Chelsea, especially as the theme this year was all about wildlife and sensory.
“Everything we do at Natural Academy is about helping people and nature flourish together so we loved Emilie’s idea of incorporating the five pathways to nature connection.
“The garden turned out to be amazing and we’re really proud of what we achieved in gaining the silver medal. The judges particularly liked the outdoor classroom idea.”
Emilie said: “I’m extremely proud of the children who took great pride in growing the plants we needed for this project and for showing the fantastic ability they possess in a world focussed on the disadvantages of disability.
“A lot of thought went into the design of the garden and how to reflect the five senses. The ‘touch’ garden was a woodland area made of native trees and sphagnum moss, while the ‘smell’ garden was a herb garden planted with lavender, rosemary, fennel, spearmint, sage and oregano. The ‘taste’ section was a kitchen garden featuring flowers and vegetables; the ‘sound’ garden was a space to create music in nature while being inspired by the sounds around us. For ‘sight’ we created a green roof on top of the roundhouse which was planted with wildlife-friendly fauna so it was not only aesthetic but also beneficial.”
Natural Academy is based at the Penny Brohn centre in Pill. With 14 years’ experience the Academy has developed ways to train, educate and support the ecotherapy movement by developing and supporting a community of professional practitioners who are actively working in applied ecopsychology and nature-based practice.
For more information visit www.naturalacademy.org
