15 July 2026
A collaborative community garden project has won a Gold award at Gardeners’ World Live while creating a relaxing outdoor space at Bishops Castle Community Hospital.
The project began when dedicated volunteers at Bishops Castle Community Hospital set out to create a new, therapeutic outdoor space for the hospital.
Working alongside professional garden designer Pippa Wilcox and Cardiac Physiologist Emma Mayho from The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), plans were developed for a garden to promote a welcoming and relaxing environment for patients, visitors and staff.
Volunteers from the community hospital were instrumental in driving the project to completion, working hard to secure funding and to champion the garden project within the Group.
Emma, who previously helped develop Captain Tom’s Garden at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, brought her experience of working within the NHS and her passion for gardening to the project.
Together with Pippa, she helped create a design that reflected the local area while supporting the garden’s aims of healing, wellbeing and reflection.
While developing the hospital garden, Emma and Pippa were also preparing a display for Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC Birmingham. They decided to link the two projects, making use of shared planting schemes, ideas and resources.
Research carried out by Emma’s son, Joe, into the history of Bishops Castle helped shape the design brief. This led to the creation of The Healing Legend of Ethelbert, a 4m x 4m border inspired by the town’s connections to healing, wellbeing and local heritage.
Many of the plants used in the award-winning Gardeners’ World Live display were also incorporated into the hospital garden, helping to create a lasting legacy from the show and ensuring the project would benefit the local community long after the event had ended.
Earning a prestigious Gold award, the garden was recognised by judges at Gardeners’ World Live for the quality of its design, planting and interpretation of the brief.
Reflecting on the garden, Emma said: “When Pippa approached me about getting involved in the Bishop’s Castle Community Hospital garden project, I was delighted to help. Gardening is a real passion of mine outside work and I had previously been involved in developing Captain Tom’s Garden at the Princess Royal Hospital.
“Having an understanding of how hospitals work was really useful when designing a space that would be welcoming and beneficial for patients, visitors and staff. We wanted to create something that reflected the local area and brought together the themes of healing, wellbeing and nature.
“We worked alongside volunteers at Bishops Castle Community Hospital who were passionate advocates for the project. It was great to see how much the project meant to them.
“Receiving a Gold award at Gardeners’ World Live was a fantastic achievement, but what makes me most proud is knowing that the project has also contributed to a garden that can be enjoyed by people connected to Bishops Castle Community Hospital for years to come.”
Martina Morris, Group Chief Nursing Officer at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said:
“I am incredibly proud of the volunteers and everyone who has supported this project. Their enthusiasm, commitment and community spirit have helped create a beautiful space that reflects the importance of Bishops Castle Community Hospital to local people.
“We know that access to outdoor spaces can make a real difference to wellbeing, and this garden will help improve the experience of patients, staff and visitors by providing a peaceful place to rest and reflect.”
Photo caption: Left; the Gold award winning Gardeners’ World plot, Right; the Bishops Castle Community Hospital Garden