RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012 update

Regular visitors to our website will know that Furzey Gardens and the Minstead Training project are taking a learning disability team to the Chelsea Flower Show next May.

The idea is (apart from having the experience of a lifetime and lots of fun) is to create publicity for our two charities and to bring to the forefront of the national news arena the importance of providing opportunities for those with learning disabilities to show what they can do.

The project also coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Minstead Training Project, the 90th anniversary of the formation of Furzey Gardens and the 40th anniversary of the Gardens being opened to the public.

Update

Our draft garden design has now been accepted by the RHS and it has been confirmed that we have been allocated the site at the showground that we wanted. The 'Rock Bank' is one of the largest plots and has quite a slope, which will suit our design as we are replicating the slope of Furzey Gardens themselves.

Chris Beardshaw has been working closely with our team of staff, volunteers and students and has done the preliminary plans.

Horticulture

Pete White and the rest of the horticultural team are working very hard already to propagate the plants that we will need. Chris has provided a plant list - some will be propagated, some will be brought in as tiny plants and brought on, a few will be dug up from the gardens, taken to Chelsea, and then replanted, and some large trees we hope to borrow from other gardens or suppliers.

Needless to say we will be buying as few plants as we can. Of course all this is going on alongside all the normal business of the Gardens, plus the pressure of keeping the place tidy in case the press come visiting unexpectedly…

The Lantern

Simon is making great progress with the Lantern, which is evolving gently and becoming quite an imposing structure. Deb and the students are getting going on the crafting of all the glass Macrocarpa leaves that the students are making for the Lantern. Totton Glass is cutting the basic shapes for us and the students are decorating and finishing them.

Artist in residence

Local artist Olivia Keith is capturing a lot of the work as it progresses. Her large canvases are beautifully evocative of the passion and dedication that the teams are devoting to the different tasks. Olivia will be joining us at the Show and her paintings will be exhibited in the Gallery next year.

Fundraising and publicity

The £40,000 that we need to raise is coming in slowly but surely. Lesley and Graham are approaching organisations that share our values and might like to help, and other local organisations that might support a local project. In addition, they are thinking about other ways of raising funds – the students at the Project will be hosting a fundraising Gala Ball next year for starters.

The publicity machinery is also getting going – all Hampshire papers and glossie magazines have received press releases and photos, so if you see any articles please let us know as we don't get told if they are printed or not! Radio Solent have done an interview in the Gardens. BBC South Today is planning to do a programme about us and Doug is continuing to video much of the work, and all of the milestones, so that we can make a film at the end of the adventure. We can also put snippets of video on Chris Beardshaw's website, our websites and the RHS website.

Other members of the team are looking for accommodation for us during Chelsea week, researching travel arrangements, and keeping track of all of the tasks so that we keep on schedule.