Topic Education, Community
Date 17 Jun 2024
One of the gardens exhibited at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show has been donated to Marjorie McClure School, built by Galliford Try’s Building Southern business.
The ‘Panathlon Joy Garden’, has been funded by Project Giving Back in collaboration with Panathlon, a national charity that provides young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) the opportunity to participate in competitive sports every year. The installation is the first ever wheelchair-accessible garden of its kind.
Designed by Penelope Walker, the garden incorporates both tangible and conceptual elements to symbolise joy, with curved layouts, vibrant planting and garden features with ribbons across the rear boundary to represent the celebratory ribbons used in Panathlon's sporting events.
The garden has been relocated to Marjorie McClure School, which caters to students aged four to 19 with complex medical needs and physical disabilities and was built as a sustainability pilot school for the Department for Education. The new garden is an added feature to the school’s already high-quality facilities, which include a hydrotherapy pool, two courtyards, sensory gardens, storytelling and performance spaces.
Gavin Bridge, Managing Director for Galliford Try Building Southern, said: “The Panathlon garden, with its uplifting design, is a fantastic addition to the external landscaping at Marjorie McClure School. Hosting one of the gardens from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at our school is a remarkable opportunity, and we hope that it will have a lasting impact on the students and continue to inspire inclusivity throughout the community.”