S-Chelate Plant Nutrition Supports the Opening of Room to Breathe at Amersham Hospital
A Special Evening at Amersham Hospital
The official opening of the Room to Breathe Hospital Garden at Amersham Hospital was a proud and memorable occasion for everyone involved in this remarkable project. Held on Tuesday 5 May 2026, the event brought together designers, supporters, hospital staff, volunteers and guests to celebrate the permanent arrival of a very special garden within the hospital grounds.
For S-Chelate Plant Nutrition, it was a privilege to attend, capture photographs and videos, and see first-hand how much care, commitment and hard work has gone into creating this uplifting space. The garden is located next to Entrance D, off Whielden Street, and the opening gave guests the opportunity to explore the setting, meet those behind it and reflect on the difference green spaces can make in healthcare environments.
What made the evening especially meaningful for us was seeing how a garden originally created for a national stage has now become part of everyday life at Amersham Hospital.
Key Takeaways
- S-Chelate Plant Nutrition attended the official opening of the Room to Breathe Hospital Garden at Amersham Hospital on Tuesday 5 May 2026.
- The garden won a Gold Medal at the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show before finding its permanent home within the hospital grounds.
- Designed and generously donated by Jen Donnelly and Catherine Gibbon, the garden was originally created in support of the Tuberous Sclerosis Association.
- S-Chelate Plant Nutrition supplied plant nutrition products for the project, including S-Chelate 12 Star, S-Chelate-O Cultiv-8 and a trial batch of Living Feed.
- The team are still using S-Chelate Plant Nutrition’s plant foods and have asked for more S-Chelate 12 Star and Living Feed to support the garden’s ongoing care.
Did you know? Room to Breathe began as a Gold Medal garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show and is now a permanent wellbeing sanctuary at Amersham Hospital.
From RHS Chelsea Gold to a Permanent Home
Room to Breathe began as an award-winning show garden at the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, where it received a Gold Medal. Designed and generously donated by Jen Donnelly and Catherine Gibbon, the garden was originally created in support of the Tuberous Sclerosis Association.
Its move to Amersham Hospital has given the garden a lasting purpose. Rather than being remembered only as a Chelsea success, it now has a permanent role as a wellbeing sanctuary for patients, visitors, families, NHS colleagues and the local community.
The project shows what thoughtful garden design can achieve when beauty is combined with purpose. It is not simply a collection of plants, paths and seating. It is a place intended to offer calm, comfort and restoration in a setting where people may be facing some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
The Opening Event
The evening began at around 5:00pm, with guests welcomed to the hospital grounds for a celebration of the garden and the wider Amersham Hospital Gardens Project. Guided tours started at 5:15pm, offering visitors a choice between a wildflower garden tour and a hospital garden tour.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was planned for 6:00pm, marking the official opening of the garden in its new permanent home. Guests were also able to enjoy a welcome drink and light nibbles, creating a warm and celebratory atmosphere.
Key details from the opening
| Detail | Information |
| Event | Room to Breathe Hospital Garden Opening |
| Date | Tuesday 5 May 2026 |
| Location | Amersham Hospital, next to Entrance D, off Whielden Street |
| Time | 5:00pm to 7:00pm |
| Guided tours | Wildflower garden tour or hospital garden tour |
| Ribbon cutting | 6:00pm |
| Designers | Jen Donnelly and Catherine Gibbon |
| Award | Gold Medal, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 |
| Permanent purpose | Wellbeing sanctuary within the hospital grounds |
A Garden Created to Support Wellbeing
In a hospital setting, a garden is never simply a garden. It can become a place to pause, recover, reflect and breathe.
The Room to Breathe Hospital Garden highlights the powerful role that thoughtfully designed green spaces can play in supporting mental and physical wellbeing. For patients, it offers a connection to nature beyond the clinical environment. For visitors and families, it provides a place to gather thoughts and find a moment of calm. For nurses, medics and hospital teams, it offers respite from the pressures of demanding work.
At the opening, it was clear that the garden has been created with people at its heart. Every element feels considered, from the planting and seating to the atmosphere of quiet shelter. It is a space that invites people to slow down, look around and feel connected to something living.
For those who work in healthcare, especially after the pressures of recent years, outdoor spaces like this are not a luxury. They can be essential places of recovery, reflection and emotional support.
The Human Story Behind Room to Breathe
Room to Breathe carries a deeply human story. It was originally created in support of the Tuberous Sclerosis Association and is rooted in lived experience of hospital life, caregiving and the emotional strain faced by families.
The garden’s inspiration is closely linked to designer Jen Donnelly’s own experience as a parent of a child with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. That personal connection gives the garden much of its emotional strength. It is designed not only to be admired, but to be used by people who may need a quiet refuge during difficult times.
The result is a space that speaks gently but powerfully. It acknowledges the anxiety that can come with medical treatment, the exhaustion that can be felt by caregivers, and the importance of having somewhere peaceful to step away, even briefly.
By making its permanent home at Amersham Hospital, the garden now has the opportunity to continue that work every day.
From Neglected Areas to Uplifting Spaces
During the opening, we learned more about the wider vision for the hospital gardens and the hard work that has gone into improving outdoor spaces across the site. The original idea grew from the need to offer some respite to hard-pressed hospital staff, particularly during and after the pressures of Covid.
Before the work began, some of the spaces were neglected and derelict. Through the commitment of designers, volunteers, hospital teams and supporters, these areas have been transformed into beautiful, uplifting gardens.
At the event, we learned that the wider work has helped convert ten neglected areas into spaces that contribute to the mental wellbeing of everyone involved with the hospital, from patients and families to the heroic nurses, medics and support teams who keep the hospital running.
That transformation is one of the most inspiring parts of the project. It shows what can happen when neglected corners are given attention, imagination and care.
S-Chelate Plant Nutrition’s Contribution
S-Chelate Plant Nutrition is proud to have played a small part in supporting the Room to Breathe Hospital Garden.
As part of our contribution, S-Chelate Plant Nutrition supplied plant nutrition products including S-Chelate 12 Star, S-Chelate-O Cultiv-8 and a trial batch of Living Feed. These products were used to support the planting and help the garden establish strongly as it moved from Chelsea to its permanent home at Amersham Hospital.
It was especially encouraging to hear at the opening that the team are still using our plant foods and have asked for more S-Chelate 12 Star and Living Feed. For us, that is a meaningful endorsement because it shows that our products are continuing to support the garden beyond its initial installation.
Products involved in the project
- S-Chelate 12 Star, a complete plant feed with NPK and chelated trace elements
- S-Chelate-O Cultiv-8, supplied as part of the project support
- Living Feed, a fermented plant feed designed to support plant health and soil life
Healthy plants are central to the success of any therapeutic garden. Colour, structure, scent and seasonal interest all depend on careful horticulture and consistent aftercare. We are delighted that our plant foods can continue to support that work.
Recognition on the Information Board
For us, one of the most rewarding moments of the day was seeing the S-Chelate Plant Nutrition name included on the Room to Breathe information board, acknowledging our contribution to the project.
As a company, we spend our time thinking about how to help plants grow stronger, healthier and more resilient. To see our name recognised in a garden created to help people feel calmer, stronger and more supported was deeply moving.
That acknowledgement reflects more than product supply. It represents our connection to a project that brings together horticulture, healthcare, community and wellbeing.
A Wider Community Effort
Room to Breathe is the result of many people working together with a shared purpose.
The garden was designed and generously donated by Jen Donnelly and Catherine Gibbon. The wider project has also involved Amersham Hospital Gardens Project, Buckinghamshire Healthcare Charity, Scannappeal, hospital staff, volunteers, donors and supporters.
Scannappeal and Buckinghamshire Healthcare Charity are uniting to create one stronger charity supporting healthcare across the county. That joined-up approach reflects the spirit of the garden itself: people coming together to make a bigger difference for patients, staff and communities.
S-Chelate Plant Nutrition is only one small part of that wider effort, but we are honoured to be involved. Projects like this remind us that horticulture has a role far beyond display. Gardens can support recovery, offer comfort and bring people together.
Proud to Play a Small Part
The official opening of the Room to Breathe Hospital Garden was more than a celebration of a completed project. It was a celebration of care, resilience, community and the healing power of nature.
From its Gold Medal success at RHS Chelsea Flower Show to its permanent home at Amersham Hospital, the garden has already had an extraordinary journey. Now, its most important chapter begins as it becomes part of daily life for patients, families, staff and visitors.
S-Chelate Plant Nutrition is proud to have contributed to this inspiring project and to continue supporting the garden with S-Chelate 12 Star and Living Feed.
We look forward to seeing Room to Breathe grow, flourish and provide comfort for many years to come.
Discover how S-Chelate Plant Nutrition can support stronger, healthier planting for gardens, landscapes and growing spaces that need to thrive. Visit our online shop.
Further Reading
- Room to Breathe Hospital Garden: Buckinghamshire Healthcare Charity shares the story of the Gold Medal-winning garden finding its permanent home at Amersham Hospital.
- Room to Breathe Hospital Garden for the TSA: The RHS profile for the Gold Medal-winning garden, including its designers, sponsors and Chelsea Flower Show recognition.
- Room to Breathe: Branching Out for the TSA: The Tuberous Sclerosis Association explains the story behind Room to Breathe and its connection to the charity’s work.
- From Glee to Groundswell, Swedish Trials and Room to Breathe Success: S-Chelate Plant Nutrition reflects on supporting Room to Breathe and supplying plant nutrition for the garden’s ongoing success.
- S-Chelate Plant Nutrition Celebrates TSA’s Gold-Medal Room to Breathe Garden at Chelsea: S-Chelate Plant Nutrition shares its connection to the Gold Medal garden and the wider story behind the project.