The ‘Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden’ in partnership with Sarasin & Partners has been designed by RHS Ambassador Jamie Butterworth
Pupils from Viking Primary School in London joined broadcaster and author Kate Silverton at the Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden to celebrate their new school wellbeing garden which will be relocated to the school following the show.
The garden is the first to be designed by RHS Ambassador and horticulturist, Jamie Butterworth, with input from pupils, through their school’s partnership with children’s mental health charity, Place2Be. The children enjoyed the trip of a lifetime, and even made their own bespoke headwear for the special occasion, on the theme of nature and wellbeing. They spoke to Kate Silverton about their involvement in the garden design, as well as ways that they look after their own mental health.
The Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden, by Jamie Butterworth. One pupil, Paris, 9, said: "I've enjoyed being here with my friends, spending time with others, and meeting new people. I really like the garden a lot. It was really fun because everybody loves it, and I really think the people back at school will like it too.
Another pupil, Millie, 8, added: "It was really calm and peaceful. The plants are very big too!", whilst 9-year old Samuel said: "It was very fun and the plants were very colourful. I'm excited for the plants to come to my school."
Situated on Royal Hospital Way, the Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden is a space that facilitates and stimulates conversation. It aims to be safe and peaceful, where children can feel calm and are able to talk, while also taking in the beauty of plants and being outside. This connection with plants and the natural world is something that has proven vitally important for mental health and wellbeing over the past two years.
Research conducted in Denmark and published in Environmental Education Research* found that spending time in a school garden can promote pupils’ wellbeing and positively affect their self-esteem.
Sarasin & Partners has been supporting the work of Place2Be for the past two years. Its philosophy of ‘securing tomorrow’ – which is a long-term thematic approach to investing prioritising environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors – resonates with the charity’s goal to secure children’s futures. After the Chelsea Flower Show, with support from Sarasin & Partners, the garden will be relocated within the Viking Primary School grounds.
The garden is designed to be a calming and relaxing setting, providing a safe space to stimulate and facilitate conversations, and providing a sanctuary from the bustling urban environment. It includes an intimate, sunken seating area with large, bespoke, oak seats to enable people to sit and talk. Informal and mixed planting creates a soothing and intimate space. The dappled tree canopy at the rear and sides incorporates Cornus, Zelkova, Parrotia and Carpinus, underplanted with a restrained palette of woodland species of shrubs and perennials. The front of the garden will feature topiary and a selection of perennials and grasses, providing both texture and screening to the seating area. The choice of trees provides intimacy and enclosure to the space.
From our designer, charity and sponsor
Jamie Butterworth, Managing Director of Form Plants and designer for the garden, said: “It was really important to me that this garden creates a space to stimulate and facilitate conversations, a space for children to be able to share whatever is on their minds. On a personal level, as the child of a primary school teacher and a mental health nurse, I really understand the importance of nurturing wellbeing. Gardening has such a huge impact on our mental health, and it’s been amazing to work with the pupils at Viking in recent months, to hear all their ideas and to see them literally getting their hands dirty and sowing seeds. Engaging with nature is so important, and that’s what this garden is all about.”
Catherine Roche, CEO of Place2Be, added: “It’s so wonderful to see the pupils from Viking Primary enjoying the garden that they have helped to create. We know from our frontline work in schools that many children and young people struggle with mental health problems. Spending time outdoors and in nature has a hugely beneficial impact on wellbeing, and we are thrilled to be able to provide this opportunity for one of our long-standing partner schools. Huge thanks to Sarasin & Partners and the very talented Jamie Butterworth, who have made it all possible.”
Guy Matthews, CEO of Sarasin & Partners, said: “Our support for Place2Be over the last two years has culminated in the creation of the Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden, which we hope will highlight the importance of sustainability and securing a future for the planet and the next generation. Our philosophy of ‘securing tomorrow’ resonates with the charity’s goal to secure children’s futures – especially for those at Viking Primary School who will enjoy the garden for years to come”
Notes for Editors:
For more information, please contact:
Susan Rogers
[email protected]
07850 265 681
*Pernille Malberg Dyg & Karen Wistoft (2018) Wellbeing in school gardens – the case of the Gardens for Bellies food and environmental education program, Environmental Education Research, 24:8, 1177-1191, DOI: 10.1080/13504622.2018.1434869
About Place2Be
Place2Be is a leading children's mental health charity providing school-based support and in-depth training programmes to improve the emotional wellbeing of pupils, families, teachers and school staff.
The charity currently provides an embedded mental health service in 450 UK primary and secondary schools, supporting a school community of around 250,000 children and young people.
Last year, over 11,000 teachers and school leaders from 5,300 schools accessed the charity’s training programmes.
HRH The Duchess of Cambridge became Patron of Place2Be in 2013, reflecting her personal interest in and commitment to improving the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children. Place2Be is also a founding partner of Heads Together, the mental health initiative spearheaded by The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
place2be.org.uk | Twitter @Place2Be | Facebook @place2becharity
About Sarasin & Partners
Sarasin & Partners are an experienced charity investment manager with a commitment to responsible stewardship. Our global, thematic approach to investment is underpinned by sustainability, because we believe that investment has the power to grow and protect wealth in a way that benefits society.
Over the past 20 years, Sarasin has become one of the leading charity investment managers in the UK, managing portfolios for a wide range of educational, medical, religious and grant-making charities. Approximately 450 charities trust us to manage their money in order to reach their charitable goals. Find out more at sarasinandpartners.com
Contact: [email protected]
About Jamie Butterworth
Passionate plantsman and horticulturist, Jamie studied horticulture at both Askham Bryan College and then RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey, graduating with a distinction. In 2016, Jamie became one of 8 RHS Ambassadors, joining Alan Titchmarsh, Mary Berry and Nick Knowles to champion the work of the RHS with a particular focus on getting children into gardening and showing the physical and mental health benefits gardening can offer.
Jamie has previously designed gardens for Wedgwood at RHS Chatsworth Flower Show 2019 where he became the most celebrated designer at an RHS show winning all four top awards (Best in Show, People’s Choice, best construction and gold medal) for the first time in RHS history; and more recently ‘A Garden for a Green Future’ at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival 2021 in conjunction with The Daily Telegraph. He has been Managing Director of Form Plants since 2020.
About Form Plants
Jamie’s passion for plants, plant health and the environment led to him opening Form Plants, Berkshire in early 2020, with a vision to supply the landscaping industry with quality trees and plants to add form and structure into gardens of all sizes, at the very best value and with exceptional customer service. With a team of expert horticulturists, Form Plants is based in Dorney, just outside of Windsor in Berkshire, with an inspirational tree showroom, designed to make choosing from the comprehensive Form range as convenient as possible. Form Plants will be hoping to continue from their success at the September RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021, where they supplied eight award-winning show gardens in addition to creating their own display inside the Grand Pavilion with a Silver-Gilt award. For RHS Chelsea 2022, Form Plants will be growing and supplying 15,000 plants and over 40 trees between five show gardens, all managed on-site at Dorney.
Contact: [email protected]