01 February 2019

Rehoming award-winning Chelsea Flower Show garden

Towards the end of last year (2018), our teams were instrumental in the careful transportation and relocation of an RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden to Maggie’s, Forth Valley Royal Hospital near Falkirk.

We are proud of our ongoing partnership with Maggie’s which is based on the values we share.

Over the years, we’ve had the pleasure to work on delivering projects for new centres as well as fundraising for the charity, where we have committed to raising £1m over 10 years.

Towards the end of last year (2018), our Mechanical Engineering team and Kettering Plant Department were instrumental in the careful transportation and relocation of an RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden to Maggie’s, Forth Valley Royal Hospital near Falkirk.

The garden, named Linklaters Garden for Maggie’s won gold at the 2017 show and received huge interest and praise from the visitors throughout the week.

It was during this show that the idea developed for the concrete elements which featured within the garden design, would be suited to Maggie’s Forth Valley.

As garden designer, Darren Hawkes suspected, the project would prove to be tricky because of the irregularly shaped pieces, the logistics of dismantling gardens at the very congested Chelsea site and the lack of any lead time.

Craig Hook, Head of Mechanical Engineering, was approached to give guidance and immediately assessed the potential difficulties of the project. He soon designed a solution and put a plan in place to liaise with the onsite landscape contractor to ensure a safe and smooth lifting and transportation operation. Along the process, he received invaluable help from our Plant Dept.’s Steve Carter.

Our team were able to provide expert services by designing scaffold support for the concrete shelters and a lifting plan to get them delivered from site to our Kettering Plant Dept. Strengthening works of the pieces were then completed before being stored until safe transportation to Maggie’s could be made. We were grateful to the generous donation of time and services from Baldwins Crane Hire Ltd and GBG scaffolding.

Darren Hawkes commented:

“Throughout the project, the SRM team integrated with everyone on site, sharing their knowledge and expertise as well as providing a benchmark for the very best our industry has to offer to ensure the work was completed.

To know that SRM's support for Maggie’s runs through the workforce means difficult issues are dealt with enthusiasm and positivity which is hugely appreciated by all the team and speaks volumes about the company’s internal culture.”

John Gallagher, Regional Plant Manager, added:

“It was a fantastic project to be involved in where we met a lot of unassuming people on the journey. Maggie’s is a wonderful environment for patients and family, so I’m pleased we were able to contribute to enhancing the garden environment.”

We hope the natural environment of the garden benefits patients and families for years to come, promoting a positive effective on their wellbeing and mindfulness.

To find out more, visit the Maggie’s website >>.