Nick Burton and Duncan Hall of Burton Hall Garden Design are delighted to have won the RHS People’s Choice Award in the ‘Small Show Garden’ category for their ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’ sponsored by Project Giving Back at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
The Small Show Garden, designed for Scottish charity, Down’s Syndrome Scotland, is an immersive, semi-wooded space that celebrates and reflects the joyful, unique qualities that people with Down’s syndrome bring to society, whilst highlighting some of the daily challenges and barriers they face.
Competing against 9 other Small Show Gardens in the show, the garden, once relocated back to Scotland straight after the show, will offer the charity’s community an outdoor place to relax, reflect and connect.
Duncan Hall, Co-Designer of Burton Hall Garden Design, said,
“Nick and I are absolutely thrilled to have won the People’s Choice award for the Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden in the Small Show Garden category! It means so much that our garden resonated with the public, and it was really heartwarming to listen to the charity volunteers involved in meaningful discussions about Down’s syndrome.
We would like to thank everyone involved in this project – from our wonderful sponsors Project Giving Back, everyone at Down’s Syndrome Scotland, our contractor, our artisan collaborators, our plant nurseries, planting volunteers, suppliers and our long-suffering family who have supported us on this journey.
And thank you to everyone who voted for us to crown us as winners of the RHS People’s Choice Award in our category! We are thrilled and just can’t believe it!!!”
Voting for the RHS People’s Choice Award began on Tuesday 20th May, with viewers on the BBC, visitors and the public beginning to cast their vote online for their favourite garden in each category on the RHS website, with voting closing at 8pm on Thursday 22nd May. Their category award win was announced by BBC presenter, Adam Frost, on the 7.30pm RHS Chelsea Flower Show on Friday 23rd May.
The ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’ has been 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.
After the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which closes tomorrow on Saturday 24th May, it will relocate to its permanent home at Watch US Grow in Palacerigg Country Park in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, so it can make long-term, positive changes to the lives of adults with additional support needs.
Today at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, members of Down’s Syndrome Scotland’s ‘Choir 21’ officially unveiled their charity Show Garden – the ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’ sponsored by Project Giving Back – by performing three joyful songs, including their debut performance of ‘Our Chelsea Anthem’, which has been written in collaboration with their charity members and Ken McCluskey and Douglas MacIntyre of No.1 hit Scottish band, The Bluebells.
Picture shows: Choir 21 from Down’s Syndrome Scotland officially unveiled the RHS Chelsea Flower Show ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’ alongside Scottish band, The Bluebells. The garden, designed by Burton Hall Garden Design, has been designed for the Scottish charity and is sponsored by Project Giving Back. Photo credit: Ginger Horticulture
Accompanied by Makaton sign language, their uplifting performance celebrates the positive qualities of people in their community. Their choir reflects the work of Down’s Syndrome Scotland, who provide support and opportunities for people with Down’s syndrome living in Scotland, whilst breaking down societal barriers so individuals can reach their full potential.
Chief Executive of Down’s Syndrome Scotland, Eddie McConnell, said today, “It’s wonderful to see our charity choir here in the heart of Chelsea to perform at the world’s most prestigious flower show. Many of our members haven’t travelled to London before, and although excited and nervous at the invitation to officially open our garden at RHS Chelsea, they have excelled and made their community proud as they fly the flag for inclusion, opportunity and challenging stigma.”
Katy Lironi, Choir 21’s Songwriter and Choir Lead, said today, “I am so proud of the members of Down’s Syndrome Scotland Choir performing today in front of so many press and RHS guests to officially unveil our charity show garden. Our debut performance of ‘Our Chelsea Anthem’ is a song written by members of our choir with input from our wider charity members. We’re also grateful for the help provided by The Bluebells, who brought our lyrics to life. Our choir was also delighted to sing “Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden,” our very own take on the folk song “English Country Garden” with lyrics supplied by Choir 21 members and the wider Down’s Syndrome Scotland community, describing many features of the garden– and of course – we couldn’t come to Chelsea with The Bluebells without singing their 1993 No.1 hit ‘Young at Heart.’”
The ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’ designers, Nick Burton and Duncan Hall of Burton Hall Garden Design, had also invited Liam Hall-Romay, aged 8 – the inspiration behind the garden – to attend the performance with his brother Oscar, aged 10 and his parents Laura Romay Castiñeira and Davie Hall. Liam has Down’s syndrome and is the nephew of the garden’s co-designer, Duncan Hall.
The ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’ is an immersive, semi-wooded space celebrating and reflecting the unique qualities that people with Down’s syndrome bring to society. Visitors enter on a meandering path that leads them through two distinct planting areas that convey contrasting mood experiences: one of calmness and the other of playfulness. A water pool that initially appears to be a barrier to progress symbolises the daily challenges faced by people with Down’s syndrome who – despite huge progress in recent years – still experience stigma, often resulting in reduced opportunities and life expectancy. A submerged bridge within the water pool allows the ‘barrier’ to be overcome and visitors arrive at a welcoming garden building designed to look and feel like a warm and comforting ‘hug’.’
The Show Garden can be seen this week at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show until Saturday 24th May 2025. After the show, it will relocate to its permanent home at Watch US Grow in Palacerigg Country Park in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, so it can make long-term, positive changes to the lives of adults with additional support needs.
For more information or images please contact: Joy Baker, Baker PR
joy@bakerpr.co.uk 07810 442659
Down’s Syndrome Scotland supports families and people with Down’s syndrome all over Scotland and is dedicated to helping them achieve their fullest potential in life. Membership of Down’s Syndrome Scotland is free to everyone who wants to help the charity grow and reach everyone living with Down’s syndrome in Scotland today.
This week, three young adult members of the Scottish charity, Down’s Syndrome Scotland joined garden designers, Nick Burton and Duncan Hall of Burton Hall Garden Design, and their team of volunteers at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show site to help build and add the final plants at the ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’ which is sponsored by Project Giving Back.
Cher Collins, 32, from Edinburgh and Euan Dunsmore and Finlay McConnell, both aged 22 from North Lanarkshire, travelled from Scotland to join the volunteer team at RHS Chelsea, to help complete the Show Garden so it’s ready to showcase to RHS members and its visitors from across the world when it opens next week from Tuesday 20th May 2025 until Saturday 24th May 2025.
Leading the volunteer group and its members, Nick Burton and Duncan Hall guided Cher, Euan and Finlay over two days as they contributed to the garden’s build and planting. One of their tasks was to plant Camassia leichtlinii ‘Caerulea’ in the garden’s colourful and playful area. These tall plants, with their lavender-blue and creamy-white star-shaped flowers, had been grown from bulbs by the charity’s community at the garden’s relocation site, Watch US Grow.
Another task the young adults helped to complete was to plant Lilium martagon flowers in the garden’s contrasting, calmer green area. These had also been nurtured from bulbs by primary school pupils from Penpont Primary School in Dumfries & Galloway.
The pupils, which included eight-year-old Liam Hall-Romay, the nephew of the garden’s co-designer Duncan Hall, had watered and cared for them in the school garden so they would be RHS Chelsea-worthy in time for the show. Liam, who has Down’s syndrome, is the main inspiration for the ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland’ garden.
Cher, Euan and Finlay were also delighted to be the first from their community to get a sneak peek inside ‘the hug’ garden building which arrived from Midlothian, Scotland this week. Designed and built by Old School Fabrications, the garden building,
which has been made using homegrown larch, sits within the green, calm area of the garden and
represents a ‘warm embrace’ that so many from the Down’s syndrome community give others through their incredible qualities such as empathy, sensitivity and compassion. Co-Designer Nick Burton said: “It’s been wonderful to have Cher, Finlay and Euan join us this week to help plant the flowers their community has grown from bulbs and lend a hand finishing some of the garden’s design features.
Their help has been invaluable to our garden team as we prepare to present our debut garden to the RHS judges, members and general public. It’s a powerful reflection of what can be achieved when we embrace the value and potential of people with Down’s syndrome – they have so much to offer us when given the opportunity to be included.”
One of the charity volunteers, Cher Collins, who also works for the charity Down’s Syndrome Scotland, as their Engagement Worker, said “I was so happy to be asked to join the team at Chelsea and to play a part in building our garden. I hope it will make others see that we have lots to offer and see beyond our disability. I am excited to hear what everyone thinks of our garden when the show opens next week.”
Eddie McConnell, Chief Executive of Down’s Syndrome Scotland, who joined the members at the RHS Chelsea site, said:
“Our members, who are all adults with Down’s syndrome, are getting the opportunity to put their mark down on the Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden for RHS Chelsea. We want visitors to Chelsea to embrace the value and potential of people with Down’s syndrome. The opportunity to have a charity garden at RHS Chelsea gives us the perfect platform to amplify our message and break down barriers and misconceptions. We want people with Down’s syndrome to live a happy and fulfilled life and we need everyone’s help to make that a reality for the 47,000 people with Down’s syndrome living in the UK. Too many of them continue to experience barriers to employment and many more don’t receive the same access to good healthcare, that many of us take for granted.” After the RHS Chelsea show, the Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden will relocate 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.
The ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’ is made possible by Project Giving Back, a unique grant-making charity that supports cause-driven gardens at RHS Chelsea, ensuring their legacy continuesby relocating them to community sites across the UK.
We are delighted to welcome the publication of the Scottish Standard Care Pathway for Babies Born with Down’s syndrome and pleased to have collaborated with our colleagues across the NHS community in Scotland in developing this critical resource. The pathway is intended to guide the initial care for a newborn baby with a diagnosis of Down’s syndrome. It is intended for use by all health professionals involved in the care of babies with Down’s syndrome across Scotland . Having a pathway in place means health professionals can have the confidence in sharing the news that the baby has Down’s syndrome, using the right language. It will also improve their understanding around caring for babies born with Down’s syndrome and supporting them and their parents through the neonatal period.