Samaritans' Listening Garden wins a Silver-gilt medal at RHS 2023
Award-winning garden designer and Samaritans volunteer Darren Hawkes brought the Samaritans’ Listening Garden to the world-famous garden show this year to help us celebrate 70 years of supporting people struggling to cope.
Samaritans' Listening Garden is inspired by the stories of people who found the courage to reach out to Samaritans in their darkest times.
The garden takes visitors on a symbolic journey from the challenging situations people find themselves in when they reach out to Samaritans, to the comforting support of speaking to a volunteer - and being heard.
At the front of the garden, concrete panels are suspended above a planting layer of spiny plants and dark colours, making the entrance of the garden feel foreboding. The pathway into the garden appears cracked with deep fissures leading down into blackness and the sound of gushing water.
Stepping through the garden, it opens out into a welcoming sanctuary, with water gathering in a pool next to a sunken area where a sculptural bench sits under the canopy of stunning small-leaved elm, providing a space that allows two people to sit, talk, listen and be heard.
A bronze statue of a female figure called Listening, by contemporary artist Andrew Litten, sits in a quiet corner, waiting to hear the thoughts of those who pass through.
Many of the 2000 plants in the garden have been chosen for their architectural form and varied colour and texture.
Samaritans' Listening Garden is generously funded by Project Giving Back, a unique grant-making charity that provides funding for good causes at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Samaritans
After Chelsea, the plants and features from the garden will be relocated to Samaritans branches, including Truro, where Darren is a volunteer.
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