Chelsea donation leaves gardeners 'flabbergasted'

Community gardeners in say they are "flabbergasted" after they received a donation of 5,000 plants and trees from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The Wonky Garden in Widnes, which works to help improve local people's physical and mental health, said it had been "a crazy few days" after receiving the donation from the show's Project Giving Back schemer earlier this week.

"What we got was beyond our wildest dreams," Angela Hayler, of The Wonky Garden, said. "We hoped at some point in the future to add an immersive forest therapy area... when the truck rocked up, the amazingly generous Project Giving Back had only popped a forest on the truck.

"To say we are overwhelmed is an understatement."

Elisa Davies, of Project Giving Back, said the donation would help the garden at Ditton Community Centre to "transform this space in a way that would be quite difficult for them to do otherwise".

"The large trees will create a woodland space here," she explained.

"Our volunteers come from all walks of life and the volunteers themselves, whilst they're a very big group, they suffer from social isolation, from loneliness, bereavement and some have experienced suicide in the family," Angela said.

She added: "So there we have those connections but also groups that support them also have come in and used the gardens from time to time.

"Forest bathing is something that we've wanted to explore but we haven't really got the place that really encloses you with that hug, that's what this is going to create."

She added: "We are beyond excited, we simply can't express our gratitude enough.

"We are absolutely flabbergasted but in a very, very good way."

The Wonky Garden will be open to the public for the National Garden Scheme in July and August.

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