Excitement and anticipation is building for RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, which takes place between 4 – 9 July. As always, visitors can expect to enjoy a celebration of horticultural prowess, inspiring floral displays and a cornucopia of colour.
This year, Cancer Research UK has collaborated with award-winning designer Paul Hervey-Brookes to showcase The Cancer Research UK Legacy Garden, a life-affirming space that represents the hope and optimism that’s brought about by gifts in Wills, helping to beat cancer for future generations.
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A garden to remember
Paul Hervey-Brookes is a garden designer who’s celebrated for creating layered habitats with a uniquely sensitive touch and a plant-based philosophy. With The Cancer Research UK Legacy Garden, he has conceived a space where visitors can find reflection and contemplation; a place to consider a world where people can live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.
The Cancer Research UK Legacy Garden elicits a tranquil woodland environment that will feature more than 3,000 plants, all selected by Paul to evoke different feelings and moods.
The carefully curated scheme features green and white – colours that stimulate feelings of relaxation and considered reflection. Cancer Research UK’s brand colours of purple and pink have also been selected as both are associated with wisdom and insightfulness. The garden’s bright and uplifting array of colour celebrates the joy of living and renewed hope brought about by legacy giving.
A third of CRUK’s income comes from gifts in Wills, which enables investment in cutting-edge science.
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Filled with meaning
The Cancer Research UK Legacy Garden is full of symbolism. The Pledge Pavilion – which takes up a third of the garden to represent one third of research funded by gifts in Wills offers a sheltered space where visitors can reflect, connect and engage in meaningful conversation while enjoying the view of the garden and the jetty from a different perspective.
The continuing presence of the water in the garden acts as a metaphor for the long-lasting value of a legacy gift. The stream inlets flow to a central body of water with an isolated jetty, representing the fear and loneliness that cancer can bring. Facing the Pledge Pavilion symbolises hope, reminding those on a difficult journey that they are not alone.
Another focal point of the garden is the rocks. “The carved handprints in the rocks powerfully remind us that cancer can affect anyone, at any age,” says Paul. “I know first-hand the impact of this disease, the way it touches every aspect of our lives. For me there is no greater gift than leaving a legacy that has the promise of giving so many others the potential to live longer, better lives.”
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A world free from cancer
The Cancer Research UK Legacy Garden celebrates the scientific discoveries and progress that has been made in cancer prevention, detection, and treatment, alongside the hope brought to those affected by cancer.
It’s also an opportunity to acknowledge that the people who pledge a gift in their Will today are helping to save lives tomorrow, and to motivate others to make a pledge of their own by leaving a gift to Cancer Research UK in their Will.
Visitors to The Cancer Research UK Legacy Garden will be able to buy the featured plants on the final day of the show, Sunday 9 July.
Cancer Research UK's pop-up at Linden Hall, Hampton between 14 – 16 July is another chance to buy the plants featured in the garden. Paul will be making a special appearance on Friday 14 July to share his advice and inspiration. Friday pop-up hours are 11.30am – 5pm, and Saturday – Sunday hours are 10am – 4pm. Give the plants a new lease of life and bring home a living memory to ensure the legacy of the garden lives on.
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