A UK stroke charity has launched its own online digital garden in an effort to raise funds for the organisation.
Strength in Bloom has been inspired by the the Stroke Association’s first ever show garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024, the Garden for Recovery, designed by landscape designer, Miria Harris, which was created to support stroke survivors to achieve their best possible recovery.
The digital version of the garden invites supporters to donate by planting symbolic flowers and trees or selecting a plaque to dedicate to a loved one, creating a space they can visit from anywhere in the world..
Juliet Bouverie OBE, Chief Executive of the Stroke Association, said: “Our first ever virtual garden, Strength in Bloom, is a digital haven filled with the healing power of nature.
“We’re asking people to dedicate a symbolic flower, tree or plaque to celebrate the resilience of a stroke survivor, or honour the memory of a loved one lost to stroke.
“Inspired by our Garden for Recovery at the 2024 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, we hope people can share stories of strength, find a sense of tranquillity and also reach a community from anywhere in the world.
“Our digital garden will help us to achieve our ambitious new goal; to reach everyone with stroke support as quickly as possible after their stroke, while also creating a beautiful, lasting legacy.”
The Stroke Association’s Garden for Recovery was designed by critically acclaimed landscape designer Miria Harris, herself a stroke survivor, and sponsored by Project Giving Back, the grant-giving charity that funds gardens for good causes at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
The garden was shaped by Miria’s experience of stroke and the stories of other stroke survivors, as a place to support and inspire stroke recovery, both physically and mentally.
The garden has been designed as a peaceful, sensory space for recovery.
Colour, scent and the sound of water provide soft way-finding for those with additional visual or mobility needs, while interconnected pathways through a contoured landscape acknowledge the difficult road to recovery with its ups and downs.
After being displayed at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the garden has been reconfigured and moved to its permanent location adjacent to the stroke unit at Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds, where it will provide a place for connection and rest for stroke survivors and their families.
The digital garden, Strength in Bloom, aims to create a lasting legacy online by bringing the design elements of the physical garden into the digital world.
Bouverie said: “Through tailored, coordinated and empowering stroke support, the Stroke Association helps survivors and their loved ones to achieve their best possible recovery.
“We provide support that covers every aspect of a survivor’s recovery, so they are not just living to survive, but able to live life again.”
