The inaugural RHS Community Chelsea Garden has been announced, with plans for a new garden for residents in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea
A new RHS community garden is being launched in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
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Grassroots charity Grow to Know is joining forces with the RHS to create the inaugural RHS Community Chelsea garden, Life Under the Westway: Maxilla Gardens in North Kensington.
Located just a stone’s throw from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show showground, the garden will be used for the local community, with the Westway Trust being custodians of the land. The existing garden at Maxilla Gardens will be transformed by Grow to Know.
The design of the garden is inspired by the social effects of life under the Westway in 1970 and will tell stories of past and present. Repurposed materials will be used to create pathways and features. The garden is supported by the Mayor of London and the Westway Trust.
Founder and creative director of Grow to Know Tayshan Hayden-Smith said: “I couldn’t be prouder for Grow to Know to be leading on the first ever RHS Community Chelsea garden in association with RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 – the first time in its 111-year history – to demonstrate the importance of community gardens when the world’s eyes are on UK horticulture.
“As the RHS ambassador for Young People and Communities, I feel a sense of duty and commitment to the people who could really do with the benefits and magic of having access to nature.”
The garden has been announced following last year’s ‘Close the Green Gap’ campaign, spearheaded by Grow to Know at Chelsea, where it exhibited the smallest garden ever seen at the show. The campaign highlighted the lack of green space available to residents in North Kensington. The new garden design is being built for one purpose: to unlock access to green space for local residents.