Celebrities show huge support for Panathlon at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024

Panathlon – the disability sports charity for young people – experienced an incredible showcase at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024, garnering an abundance of interest and support after welcoming tens of thousands of visitors to its first-ever show garden.

The Panathlon Joy Garden was visited by a wide range of celebrities from much-loved Paralympic sporting heroes and famous television personalities, to the national media and general public.

The Silver-Gilt award-winning garden welcomed Great Britain sporting champions Liz Johnson (triple Paralympic Swimming Medalist and Panathlon Chair); Ellie Simmonds (multiple Paralympic Swimming Medalist), Steve Brown (Wheelchair Rugby Captain at the London 2012 Paralympics and BBC Countryfile presenter); and Ade Adepitan (Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball Medalist and television presenter); as well as Louise Sugden (a Paris 2024 Paralympic Games hopeful in Paralympic Powerlifting).

This amazing influx of Paralympic superstars attracted yet more stars to the garden, including none other than British horticulturist and television presenter Monty Don (BBC Gardeners’ World); garden designer, writer, and TV presenter Arit Anderson (BBC Gardeners’ World); radio and TV sports presenter Gabby Logan (BBC Sports); chef and presenter Paul Hollywood (The Great British Bake Off); stand-up comedian and TV presenter Tom Allen (The Apprentice: You're Fired, Cooking with the Stars); comedian, actress, writer and TV presenter Sally Phillips (Smack the Pony, Bridget Jones films, Jam and Jerusalem); comedian and TV actress Ellie Taylor (Ted Lasso, The Mash Report); actor Andrew Lincoln (Teachers, This Life, The Walking Dead); and actress Gael Anderson (Teachers), among many others.

The Silver-Gilt Award
The Panathlon Joy Garden also attracted the attention of RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 judges, winning a prestigious Silver-Gilt award in the All About Plants Section.

Designed by Penelope Walker of Llevelo Design, the ‘joyful’ garden was recognised for its colours, curves and layout which create a harmonious, balanced space that is accessible to all, particularly wheelchair users. Indeed, the garden was the first ever to be wheelchair accessible in the All About Plants Section.

Paralympian and Panathlon Chair, Liz Johnson, comments: “We feel truly humbled and proud to have welcomed tens of thousands of people and celebrities to the Panathlon Joy Garden! To be featured several times on prime-time BBC television, radio and in national newspapers and magazines was a further fantastic response, and winning the Silver-Gilt Award really was the icing on the cake at the end of a fantastic week for Panathlon. Exhibiting at the world-famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show was our opportunity to highlight the life-enhancing and transformative impact of Panathlon’s competitive sporting opportunities for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) across the UK, and we smashed it with smiles all round!”

Ashley Iceton from Panathlon, adds: “Panathlon would like to extend huge thanks to all of our supporters who have helped with this incredibly important project over the last few months, including Project Giving Back, the generous funders of the garden, and Penelope Walker from Llevelo Garden Design for her amazing hard work and attention to detail. We also thank Panathlon’s many wonderful volunteers, including St. James’s Place, Woodland Group, RBC BlueBay, Aspen, and John Lewis, who interacted with members of the public all week at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 to explain the garden and the vital work of our charity.”

A lasting legacy
To enable its important legacy to live on after the show, the Panathlon Joy Garden was relocated to Marjorie McClure School in Bromley, London, on 31 May 2024. Over 500 plants and three beautiful, curved trees were re-planted for the benefit of children aged 4-19 years old with complex medical needs and physical disabilities. The official opening of the garden will take place later this summer.

This school was chosen for many reasons but primarily because it was one of the original founder schools to be involved with Panathlon back in 2005. Following the school’s recent move to a new location, the minimal outdoor landscaping needed a splash of colour. As such, these stunning new plants and unique trees will enhance the new site significantly for all to admire and enjoy.

Rebecca Cottage, Headteacher at Marjorie McClure School, explains: “We are so excited to welcome and benefit from the Panathlon Joy Garden which has now been relocated to our school. Already it is bringing so much joy to pupils, staff, and visitors, and will continue to do so for many years to come.”

Woodland Group, a long-term supporter of Panathlon, was integral to the logistics and sustainable movement of the garden’s three special trees to RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024, as well as the removal of the entire garden to Marjorie McClure School.

The Panathlon Joy Garden was built by Stewart Landscape Construction and sponsored by Project Giving Back.