Hospice Volunteer Gardeners enter ballot at BBC Gardeners World Autumn Fair

• 29 July 2026

Volunteer Gardeners at Arthur Rank Hospice Charity will display a border garden at the BBC Gardeners World Autumn Fair(opens in new tab).

Garden Designer, Garima Chandra, who has led and designed parts of the Hospice Garden in Shelford Bottom, entered the ballot [VG2.1][JM2.2]for the event which takes place from 11-13 September 2026 at Audley End in Saffron Walden:

A prairie-style border celebrating the volunteer-run gardens at Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, where the planting and atmosphere reflect a story of care, compassion, and continuity.

This garden tells a story of care and human connection, inspired by the volunteers of Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, whose gardens are maintained entirely by the volunteers.

Supporting people living with life-limiting illnesses and those close to them, the Hospice is reflected here through a prairie-style border shaped by light, movement and soft structure. A multi-stem birch casts dappled shade over flowing grasses, alongside late-season perennials, echoing the calm rhythms of the Hospice garden.

A curved path weaves through the planting, suggesting a shared journey. A simple bench, with a mug of tea and a garden fork, offers a tribute to the volunteers whose time, care and presence sustain the space.

With planting drawn from the Hospice garden, the design is grounded in memory — a place of warmth, reflection and quiet optimism, where small acts of kindness gently endure.

After submission, the panel fedback [VG3.1][JM3.2]positively:

“The theme of your Border underlines the important work of volunteers at the Hospice Garden and is relevant to this year’s event theme, ‘Once Upon a Time’. Thank-you for the perspective drawing which really makes the scheme come alive.”

The gardens, both at the Hospice and at the Alan Hudson Centre in Wisbech, are important spaces for colleagues, volunteers, Bistro customers, patients and their loved ones. Many people have commented on the importance of access to outside spaces; to flowers, plants, birds and nature to support their mental and emotional wellbeing whilst they are visiting the Inpatient Unit or the Living Well Services. Each space has been carefully designed to include calming colours, scents and textures and is tended by a regular team of kind and generous Volunteer Gardeners and Corporate Volunteers.

The Charity garden display will sit next to another 12-14 border style[VG5.1][JM5.2] gardens at the event, which will all have a separate space of a few square metres. To support the BBC Gardeners World Autumn Fair project, the volunteer gardeners have received donations from kind supporters,[VG4.1][JM4.2] which was sourced by the gardening volunteers themselves and a small bursary from the event organisers.

The Volunteer Gardeners [VG6.1][JM6.2]will take a small selection of plants from the Hospice garden to display at the event and Tamar Nursery in Wisbech(opens in new tab) have kindly offered to grow, store and transport the rest of the plants, which they will need for the project, to the event.

The build at Audley End House and Gardens(opens in new tab) will take Garima and Adam Saunders, Head Volunteer Gardener [VG7.1][JM7.2]at Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, around two to three days to put together before the grand reveal on 11 September[VG8.1][JM8.2]. Tickets to the event can be purchased at: www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com/autumn-fair/(opens in new tab)

The event organisers shared:

“The BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair is an established resounding success, drawing over 20,000 visitors to the breathtaking English Heritage setting of Audley End House and Gardens. This year’s Fair sparkled with fresh features, inspiring experts, and a vibrant collection of Beautiful Borders and Showcase Gardens, each brimming with seasonal colour and creative ideas. Celebrating the very best of autumn planting and design, the event also welcomes gardening favourites Adam Frost, Arit Anderson, Frances Tophill, and Rachel De Thame to share their expertise.”

---

To find out more about volunteering at Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, please visit arhc.org.uk/volunteer