A CHARITY that builds gardens at spinal injury units is celebrating the opening of a new garden room for patients at Salisbury Hospital on

Sunday.

Horatio's Garden has just finished adding a conservatory to its original garden at the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre.

Trustee Dr Olivia Chapple said: “We would like to thank everyone for donating to create this beautiful garden room.

"The charity can now run events and activities in Horatio’s Garden such as garden therapy, artists’ residencies, lunches and live music all year-round, come rain or shine.”

People can visit the garden room at the charity’s annual Food and Plant Fair on Sunday from 11am-3pm. Entry is free. The event will be opened by celebrity garden designer Cleve West who will give advice about the plants, which are for sale from Horatio’s Garden.

Cleve is due to open the fair at midday.

Great British Sewing Bee finalist Neil Stace will open the craft section of the fair and will sell bags he has made for the charity.

All proceeds will support activities for patients in Horatio’s Garden over the coming year.

n Horatio’s Garden is named after Dr Chapple’s son Horatio, who was a volunteer at the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre, Salisbury, in his school holidays.

Horatio and his father David Chapple – a spinal surgeon at Salisbury Hospital – came up with the idea for a garden and Horatio drew up a questionnaire to find out what patients wanted.

Horatio was killed at age 17 by a polar bear. After his death, donations flooded in for his garden.

Cleve West designed the first Horatio’s Garden. He was the perfect man for the job. He knew the spinal centre well because his best friend had been a patient there – and Cleve was winner of the Best in Show at Chelsea in 2011 (he went on to win again in 2012).

Horatio’s Garden opened in Salisbury in 2012. In 2015 Cleve won three Society of Garden Designers awards.

Following the success of Horatio’s Garden, the charity was set up to create others around the UK.

exemplified in patient questionnaires and feedback, the charity was set up to create Horatio’s Gardens nationally at the other ten regional spinal injury centres in the UK.