Rachel's garden is now being re-built at a clinic which supports people with acquired head and brain injuries.

Exeter alumna wins top prize at RHS Tatton Park

Alumna and garden designer Rachel Platt (Geography, 2018) has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s coveted People’s Choice Best Young Designer award at RHS Tatton Park for her first show garden titled ‘The Covid Recovery Garden’. During the show, which ran from 20 to 24 July, she also won Best Construction, a Silver-Gilt medal and was awarded runner-up Young Designer of the Year.

RHS Tatton Park, based in the grounds near Knutsford, is one of the three largest horticultural shows in the UK, that are televised every year on Gardeners World, alongside RHS Chelsea flower show and RHS Hampton Court flower show. Only 10 medals were awarded in the garden category this year, Rachel’s garden being one of them.

Her specific category was entitled ‘Young designer gardens’. The purpose of the young designer category is to highlight emerging talent and give aspiring designers the opportunity to launch their career and gain exposure at such a prestigious event.

Rachel’s garden focused on providing a restorative sanctuary at a hospital for those suffering from long-covid, the shape of which was inspired byCaduceus, the staff of Hermes, often used as a medical symbol.  Central to the design was a large transparent arbour, and a multi-stem tree with public messages of support and remembrance hanging from its branches situated in the centre of a sculpture of a viral spike protein

It is currently being re-built at a CHIS (Community Head Injury Service) clinic which supports people with acquired head and brain injuries. It will be open all year for patients attending appointments and by staff working at the centre for breaks and meetings.Furthermore, the therapeutic team and work placement team will use the garden for therapy for clients who are no long inpatients but are being rehabilitated back into the community.

Rachel said: “I would like to thank the NHS for allowing the show garden to be re-built on one of its premises. As a designer, it is an honour to have been able to produce a garden that will benefit and be seen by so many local people”.

Date: 1 September 2022