DIY SOS brings garden to GOSH

Tune in to BBC One on Thursday 10 November at 8pm to see how an army of volunteers moved Chris Beardshaw’s award-winning Morgan Stanley Garden for Great Ormond Street Hospital from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on to a roof top space in the heart of the hospital.

The special episode shows how the team transported 30 trees and hedges (weighing 3.5 tonnes), 2,000 plants and 56 tonnes of soil through central London to be craned individually (73 times) on to a disused rooftop, two stories up, in just under three weeks.

The hour-long episode features hospital staff and patients including families like Rosie's (pictured below), who was treated at the hospital for heart failure. In the programme, Rosie’s mother, Sarah, shares the family’s experience of spending days, weeks and months in the hospital’s Cardiac Intensive Care Unit listening to machines.

We also hear from six-year-old Dylan (pictured above) and his mother, Danielle. Dylan has a rare and undiagnosed condition where he has no immune system to fight infection and can stop breathing at any moment.

Danielle said: “To be asked to be involved in the filming of DIY SOS at GOSH was such an honor. We were very excited to meet Nick and his team and be interviewed.

"Knowing an army of volunteers installed the garden was a wonderful thing. There were so many who have been patients or are parents of patients, every one touched by this wonderful hospital. Dylan's much like a sunflower, his health is stable during the summer so a beautiful garden is a perfect place for Dylan.

“Thank you doesn't seem enough. To have this place of retreat to be able to go and reflect whilst our children are in hospital is quite unbelievable.”

Finally, we meet ten-year-old Maisy who has epidermolysis bullosa (also known as EB or ‘butterfly children’) a rare, life-limiting skin condition where any type of friction can cause painful blistering of the skin. The families all talk of wanting a place close by where they can snatch a moment for reflection and calm outside of the ward as they face some of the toughest challenges a family would have to face.

Chris Beardshaw, the garden’s designer, said: “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 in creating what will be a lasting legacy for parents and families of the children who will be treated at GOSH now and in the future. I hope the garden will provide a reflective and restorative space for those who use it and provide a nurturing world away from its urban surroundings.”

Tim Johnson, Chief Executive Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity said “We are so very grateful to Chris Beardshaw, Morgan Stanley, the BBC DIY SOS team and all the volunteers for creating this amazing garden. Being located in central London, green space is precious and this garden will make a real difference for families of children in the hospital’s care, providing them with a quiet, reflective space when they need time out from the ward.”

To find out more about how you can make a difference to the lives of patients and families at Great Ormond Street Hospital, please visit gosh.org