Innovative young designer Tom Simpson will be working with Cancer Research UK to create a stunning garden at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, shining a light on the progress made by the charity thanks to its researchers and supporters.
For Cancer Research UK’s Pledge Pathway To Progress, Tom has taken inspiration from supporters working together with researchers to beat cancer for future generations by pledging a gift in their will to the charity.He has created a richly scented and vibrant planting scheme, designed to address the changes that patients can experience in their senses during chemotherapy as well as to help improve mood and wellbeing.
Dotted amongst the garden are beautifully carved timber stakes. Eight of these are ‘pledge’ stakes containing the name of a supporter and why they have pledged a gift in their will. Ten are ‘progress’ stakes containing a moment in time when significant progress was made by a cancer researcher. Visitors can take a quiet moment to reflect by the garden’s sunken pool under the shade of a magnificent tulip tree, chosen to represent the impact of legacy donations for future generations.
The core colors are the purples and pinks associated with the Cancer Research UK logo, including Salvia ‘Amistad’ and Rosa ‘Fru Dagmar Hastrup’. Other plants have been chosen specifically for their cancer treatment affinity, such as yew hedging, the clippings of which are used to make the chemotherapy drug docetaxel.