https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/press-releases/bbc-one-s-diy-sos-and-volunteers-roll-their-sleeves-build-garden-great-ormond-street-hospital/

BBC One’s DIY SOS and volunteers roll up their sleeves to build a garden in Great Ormond Street Hospital

24 May 2016, 10:05 a.m.

The DIY SOS team getting ready to move the Morgan Stanley Garden for Great Ormond Street

The BBC One series, DIY SOS will help to build and plant a new garden at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).The Morgan Stanley Garden for Great Ormond Street Hospital, designed by garden designer Chris Beardshaw, had its public debut at RHS Chelsea Flower Show on Monday 23 May, after which it will be moved and adapted to the hospital permanently, with the help of the BBC DIY SOS team.

The garden is being built on a disused, second floor rooftop, surrounded by ten storey buildings. It will provide a green, reflective space for parents and families of the children undergoing care at the hospital.  A key challenge for the rebuild is that the only way to bring in all the building and landscape materials to the central London site is via crane and it is important that the work is carried out as quickly and efficiently as possible, so as not to impact on the day-to-day life-saving work of the hospital.

  • Being lifted by crane into the hospital garden will be:
  • Over 30 mature trees, topiary and hedging 
  • Around 1,000 plants
  • Over 30 tonnes of soil
  • And it will take over 70 crane lifts.
Given the complex nature of many of the conditions treated at GOSH, parents can often spend months on end at the hospital, while their children are inpatients. There is currently no green space for them to use and it can be difficult for families to find a quiet space when they need to make difficult decisions or time to reflect.

A disused hospital roof: the location of the Morgan Stanley Garden for Great Ormond Street Hospital

The garden is being built on a rooftop surrounded by buildings, and plants have been selected to suit its urban environment. A copse of trees, topiary, hedging and herbaceous plants will create a quiet retreat that thrives year-round in subdued sunlight, with multiple symbolic references throughout the garden to the relationships between children, parents and clinicians.

Morgan Stanley, a long standing supporter of GOSH, commissioned Chris Beardshaw to design a garden that would work for the hospital as their contribution to this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. When Chris’ long-standing friend and DIY SOS Presenter Nick Knowles heard about the plan and the tricky task of transferring the garden from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to the hospital without impacting its life-saving work, he immediately wanted to get involved with his team to help Chris take on the challenge.

Chris Beardshaw said “We are delighted that Nick and the DIY SOS team are joining us to transform the disused roof space at the hospital into somewhere special for parents and families. At the start of the design process we met with parents, children and clinicians and it was clear that there was a strong need for somewhere close to the wards, which can provide a calm and reflective space for parents to escape, even if it’s just for a few moments. I am passionate about the need for green space in urban settings where it can provide a ’visual vitamin’ to those who use it. This project is one of the most significant and poignant gardens of my career and I feel fortunate to be able to partner with Morgan Stanley, Nick and the DIY SOS team in making it a reality for the hospital this summer.”

Tim Johnson, Chief Executive at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, said: “The Morgan Stanley Garden will be an amazing addition to the hospital, providing a much needed green garden space for families, in the heart of the hospital. Moving the garden here is quite an undertaking so we’re extremely grateful and excited to have this beautifully designed garden by Chris and the BBC’s DIY SOS team helping out too.

Contact Information

For further information please contact the GOSH-ICH Press Office on 020 7239 3039.

For genuine and urgent out-of-hours queries call switchboard on 020 7405 9200.

Notes to Editors

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust is the country’s leading centre for treating sick children, with the widest range of specialists under one roof.

With the UCL Institute of Child Health, we are the largest centre for paediatric research outside the US and play a key role in training children’s health specialists for the future.

Our charity needs to raise £50 million every year to help rebuild and refurbish Great Ormond Street Hospital, buy vital equipment and fund pioneering research. With your help we provide world class care to our very ill children and their families.