Down’s Syndrome Scotland Members take part in Laurence McIntosh’s joinery workshop to help add finishing touches to benches designed for the RHS Chelsea ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’

This week, members of the Scottish charity, Down’s Syndrome Scotland, visited Edinburgh-based Laurence McIntosh to join their team of master craftsmen at a special workshop to help add the finishing touches to two custom-made timber benches they are making for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show’s ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’.

One of three Scottish artisans commissioned by RHS Chelsea garden designers Nick Burton and Duncan Hall of Burton Hall Garden Design, Laurence McIntosh was briefed to design two benches that will offer a place to relax, reflect and connect in their debut RHS Chelsea Show Garden and incorporate nuanced references to the numbers 3 and 21 to represent the presence of a third copy of Chromosome 21 – which causes the genetic condition.

To answer their brief, Laurence McIntosh has designed two curved timber benches, which will form two seating areas in the garden. The handcrafted benches are made from solid European oak and will feature 21 slats and 3 sets of legs referencing the charity’s symbolic numbers 3 and 21, while its curved design offers integration and connection. One of the benches will also feature a hand-engraved Gaelic proverb, “Hard as the Heather, Lasting as the Pine”, and be positioned under a Scot’s Pine, which the designers have chosen to symbolise the hope of fulfilled potential for people in the Down’s syndrome community.

Craftsmen in the Laurence McIntosh workshop shared some of their time-honoured craftsmanship and joinery practices with members from the charity’s ‘Expert Group’, showing them how to skillfully sand down some of the individual wood pieces, screw some of the bench components into their correct position, wood-carved and handcrafted etchings that will form part of the RHS Chelsea garden benches. Each member was delighted to take home a carved piece of leftover oak from the benches, which had their first name personally routed out as a memorable keepsake of the day.

The Down’s Syndrome Scotland charity members were also joined by the Show Garden’s designers, Nick Burton and Duncan Hall and the Chief Executive of Down’s Syndrome Scotland, Eddie McConnell, who enjoyed seeing the progress of the benches being made in Laurence McIntosh’s 20,000 sq. foot workshop.

Designer Nick Burton expressed his vision: “This workshop day at Laurence McIntosh marks a significant garden moment for our ‘Down Syndrome Scotland Garden’ journey as we see members from the charity learn new skills and add some vital craftsmanship touches to these special benches. We hope our ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’ at RHS Chelsea will provide a national platform to celebrate the life of people with Down’s syndrome through its reflection of their unique qualities, such as their compassion and empathy, as well as their positivity and determination. We are also proud to use our garden as a chance to showcase craftsmanship from Scottish artisans to an international visitor base at the world’s most famous flower show!’

David McDonald, Director at Laurence McIntosh, said, “We are honoured to support Burton Hall Garden Design as one of their chosen Scottish artisan partners for the ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’ at RHS Chelsea. Our handcrafted, unique curved benches have been designed to embody the core values of Down’s Syndrome Scotland, which supports and empowers its community right across Scotland. Once relocated to Watch US Grow at Palacerigg Country Park in North Lanarkshire, our benches will develop a natural silvered patina over time that will blend beautifully into the charity’s legacy garden, and we hope will be enjoyed for years to come”

The ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’ is made possible by sponsorship from Project Giving Back, a unique grant-making charity that supports cause-driven gardens at RHS Chelsea, ensuring their legacy continues by relocating them to community sites across the UK.

Eddie McConnell, Chief Executive of Down’s Syndrome Scotland, was delighted to join his members at the workshop. He said: “Our members who are all adults with Down’s syndrome are getting the opportunity to put their mark on the Down’s syndrome Scotland Garden for Chelsea. We are so grateful to Laurence McIntosh for making this happen, it’s so important.”

The ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’ will be seen at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show from the 20th-24th May 2025, before the garden returns to its permanent home at Watch US Grow in Palacerigg Country Park in North Lanarkshire, so it can make long-term, positive changes to the lives of adults with additional support needs.