STEPS Rehabilitation have announced that it is the proud Regional Garden Partner of Horatio’s Garden Sheffield & East, a transformative green space at the Princess Royal Spinal Injuries Centre at Northern General Hospital, Sheffield.
This unique collaboration reflects STEPS Rehabilitation and Horatio’s Garden’s shared commitment to supporting people’s physical and emotional wellbeing as they and their family and friends adjust to living with a spinal cord injury.
Horatio’s Garden Sheffield & East is the eighth garden created by the nationwide charity, with the design inspired by their ‘Best in Show’, gold medal winning garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023. Designed by renowned landscape architects Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg of Harris Bugg Studio, this extraordinary garden will offer joy, solace and companionship to over 360 in-patients each year, along with their families, friends, and NHS staff.
The fully accessible garden is currently under construction and will officially open in July 2025 with planting set to begin in mid-April 2025, bringing the space to life. As a Regional Garden Partner, STEPS Rehabilitation is committed to actively supporting this transformative project, helping to ensure its long-term sustainability and fostering meaningful connections with patients and NHS professionals alike.
“At STEPS Rehabilitation, we understand the profound impact that accessible outdoor spaces and nature can have on wellbeing and rehabilitation. We are thrilled to be part of this initiative, which will provide an essential outdoor space away from the clinical environment of the hospital ward for those affected by spinal injuries,” said Jules Shiel-Boulger, Founder and Business Development Director at STEPS Rehabilitation.
The Sheffield-based Garden, which serves a vast geographical area including the West Midlands, East Anglia, South Yorkshire, and Lincolnshire, will feature innovative elements such as an accessible water feature inspired by Sheffield’s industrial heritage, stone cairns built by master Yorkshire stone wallers, and garden buildings including a cocooning garden pod for privacy and shelter and a garden room for activities. The garden will be maintained by Head Gardener Ruth Calder, alongside a dedicated team of volunteers.
Horatio’s Garden Sheffield & East has been made possible through the generous support of the National Garden Scheme, Project Giving Back, charitable trusts, foundations, and other donors.
As a Regional Garden Partner, STEPS Rehabilitation is passionate about supporting this project having followed the development of Horatio’s Garden charity since before STEPS was opened.
Source: STEPS Rehabilitation
Image: STEPS Rehabilitation Founders Toria Chan (third from the right) Jules Shiel-Boulger (second from the right) alongside volunteers from STEPS Rehabilitation. Credit: STEPS Rehabilitation
