From Chelsea To Kent

Our charity in Kent deepens its partnership with garden designer Joshua Fenton to create a sanctuary for remembrance, nature, and healing.

A hospice in Kent is undergoing a transformative garden redesign - led by the designer behind one of this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show gardens - to create a peaceful, sustainable sanctuary for patients, families, and staff.  The project is being supported through government funding as part of a nationwide initiative to improve hospice facilities across the UK.

Our, the Kent-based charity that supports adults and children living with life-limiting conditions, has once again partnered with garden designer Joshua Fenton to reimagine the outdoor space at its hospice in Northfleet. This latest collaboration builds on a successful project in 2024, when Fenton Gardens designed a smaller therapeutic garden that has come to hold real meaning for many patients and visitors.

The new project is a complete garden redesign, with a strong focus on sustainability and on creating a space that brings comfort and calm to patients and families.

The new space will feature a memorial wall for grieving families, accessible pathways, pollinator-friendly planting, and a quiet therapeutic space where patients engage with nature as part of their care.

“This isn’t just a garden design,” said Joshua Fenton, Garden Designer and Owner of Fenton Gardens. “It’s about creating a space that gives people comfort when they need it most. A garden can offer peace, connection, and time to reflect - and that’s what we’ve tried to create together.”    

The project reflects our broader environmental commitment through its Green Horizons initiative - a staff-led programme integrating sustainability into all aspects of hospice operations.

While our provides Inpatient care at its Gravesend hospice, over 90% of its support takes place in patients’ homes across North Kent and Bexley making its outdoor spaces especially valuable as places of reflection for visiting families.  

Bob Shepherd, Maintenance Supervisor at our said “I’m really looking forward to working on the garden project. It’s a new challenge for me as I usually oversee office moves and the upkeep of buildings and shops. I look forward to seeing the new garden finished and being enjoyed by patients and staff. We’re a small team and this project will help highlight some of the important work that often happens behind the scenes.”

Construction is expected to begin later this year.  For more information about the project or explore ways to get involved, contact: greenhorizons@ellenor.org.