Chelsea Flower Show award-winning garden moved to community centre

Joe Carey (centre), pictured with staff from Talitha Arts and St. Margaret's House

An award-winning garden from the Chelsea Flower Show has been relocated to a community centre.

Former Nottingham students Joe and Laura Carey won the All About Plants category despite never having created a garden for the show before.

Their creation was made for Talitha Arts, a charity that uses therapeutic arts to help people affected by trauma.

Instead of going to waste it was moved to St Margaret's House community centre in Bethnal Green, London.

'Lovely full circle'

Talitha Arts shares a partnership with the community centre, which it says is "based on the ethos of the creative arts being a tool for social change and better mental wellbeing".

Mr Carey said: "It's a lovely full circle for us and the charity as they will use the garden for outdoor performance and fund raising long into the future.

"We are also particularly proud of the relocation of the garden itself, as it looks very much the same as it did at Chelsea, with minimal waste thanks to our zero-concrete show build process."

Joe and Laura Carey won a gold medal and also topped the All About Plants Garden category

The couple only started gardening professionally in 2020 after Ms Carey lost her job in marketing, and Mr Carey gave up his job as a teacher.

They met at Nottingham Trent University and now live in Norfolk.

As well as winning the All About Plants category at the Chelsea Flower Show, the garden won a gold medal.

Jenna Thorne, artistic and executive director of Talitha Arts, said: "We at Talitha Arts are so thrilled that the Talitha Arts Garden is now in its forever home.

"We are overjoyed that our garden, which tells the story of trauma into transformation through the therapeutic power of the arts, can be enjoyed by the community, and be a space for creative expression."

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