Homebase Teenage Cancer Trust wins gold at Chelsea

Homebase  |  Press release

Judges at this year's Chelsea Flower Show have awarded the Homebase Teenage Cancer Trust garden a prestigious gold medal.

The garden, which is designer and broadcaster Joe Swift's first Chelsea garden, draw cultural inspiration from Joe's local area of Hackney in London. He designed the garden to capture the power of plants and natural forms within urban and suburban environments.

Matthew Compton, Head of Trading for Garden and Seasonal at Homebase, said: "We are delighted that this wonderful garden and our hardworking team have been rewarded with a gold medal. We are hugely grateful to Joe for creating the garden with us and inspiring our everyday Homebase customers in such a beautiful setting. We are very excited about our new in-store Chelsea Collection - a special plant collection inspired by the garden, which comes with an easy-to-follow planting plan so that people can have a go at recreating the look."

Accepting the medal, Joe, said: "This is my first show garden at Chelsea Flower Show and the design inspiration was so personal to me, so I am immensely proud to receive this award. I would like to thank Homebase for their support during the design and build of the garden."

The Homebase Teenage Cancer Trust Garden attracted crowds of visitors on Monday having been officially opened by honorary Teenage Cancer Trust patron and The Who frontman, Roger Daltrey CBE. A group of former young cancer patients who met while being treated for cancer at the Royal Marsden, performed their own song, 'Look at me now', which they co-wrote about their journey and experiences.

The aim is to connect the garden and visitors through a series of 'views' with four large cedar wood frames creating snapshots. These views vary as you move around the garden and draw the eye through the long vistas of the garden, as well as playing a key role in dividing up the space into distinct 'rooms'. The combination of natural materials, water and plants invite the visitor to get close to and connect directly with the garden in an energising and original way.

Stone and wood provide texture and contrast, appearing in stylised forms. Oversized, horizintally sliced boulders and wooden sculptures decorate and punctutate the space, as well as providing seating from which to relax and enjoy the garden. The stone has all been sourced from a single quarry in Yorkshire, with many of the plants also coming from the UK.

The sustainable garden consists of trees such as stemmed Cornus Mas and Prunus 'Amber beauty' alongside a London Plane tree, which were all selected for their sculptural forms and the interesting colour and texture of their bark. Evergreen shrubby plants add solidity and a hint of Mediterranean to the dry planting palette, while textural foliage and perennials inject shots of colour throughout.

The warm colour tones of gold, orange, acid yellow and splashes of burgundy will bring the dark and mid greens of the gardens base foliage to life. Combined with the yellow stone, the garden will infuse a feeling of freshness and originality.

Gardeners will be able to recreate the magic of Chelsea at home this year using plant varieties inspired by Homebase's show garden. The Chelsea Collection is available in stores now and aims to inspire gardeners of all levels to re-create a bit of Chelsea magic, inspired by Joe's design and themes. All of the plants within the Chelsea Collection are covered by Homebase's five-year plant guarantee on hardy plants.

Simon Davies, Chief Executive of Teenage Cancer Trust, commented: "This is the first time that Teenage Cancer Trust has ever been part of the Chelsea Flower Show and we are very proud that Homebase invited us to be involved. The garden is an inspiring and stimulating space, a vision we also have when we build our specialist cancer units."

With an eye on sustainability, at the end of the show sculptures and large structures will be sold and proceeds will be donated to Teenage Cancer Trust, the official charity partner of Homebase.

-ENDS-

For more information please contact the Homebase press office at iris PR:
Press office: homebase.pressoffice@iris-worldwide.com /020 7922 8122
Or Judith Ineson: judith.ineson@homebase.co.uk /01908 600 717

For further information on all Homebase products, please visit www.homebase.co.uk or call 0845 077 8888.

About Homebase
Homebase is a leading home enhancement retailer selling over 38,000 products for the home and garden. It has more than 340 large, out-of-town stores throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland serving around 64 million customers a year, and a growing internet offering at www.homebase.co.uk
In the financial year to February 2012, Homebase's sales were £1.5 billion and it employed some 19,000 people across the business.

Homebase is part of Home Retail Group, the UK's leading home and general merchandise retailer.

About Joe Swift
Joe is a garden designer and well known TV personality presenting a range of gardening programmes since 1998. He is co-founder of Modular Garden - an award winning garden design and build brand and is currently President of the National Gardens Scheme.

About Teenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust is the only UK charity dedicated to improving the quality of life and chances of survival for the six young people, aged between 13 and 24, diagnosed with cancer every day. We build specialist units within NHS hospitals bringing young people together to be treated by teenage cancer experts in a place designed just for them. We want every young person with cancer to have access to this specialist support, no matter where they live.

Traditionally treated alongside children or elderly patients at the end of their lives, young people can feel extremely isolated during treatment, some never meeting another young person with cancer. Being treated alongside others their own age can make a huge difference to their whole experience.

Teenage Cancer Trust also educates young people and health professionals about cancer to ensure a swift diagnosis and referral to specialist support. Cancer in young people is rare but we want young people to know the common signs and symptoms so they can seek medical advice if they are worried.

We rely solely on donations to fund our vital work. You can help transform the lives of young people with cancer. Visit www.teenagecancertrust.org to find out how.

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