A CALLING pond, decorative planting and pots that gently glow to give the effect of candlelight are some of the features that will be help bring a sense of peace and tranquillity to St Clare Hospice’s ‘Space to Breathe’ garden if we are successful in winning £50,000 of funding from the Big Lottery Fund.

We enlisted the help of Stansted-based landscape architects Liz Lake Associates to create an inspiring garden which will transform the Hospice’s existing rock garden from a dark, enclosed and largely inaccessible space into an oasis of calm for our patients and their families should we win the People’s Millions public vote on Wednesday, November 27.

Their aim was to retain the cosiness of the space while bringing a little light into the area and establishing a connection with the wider green spaces of the Hospice grounds.

Senior graphic designer Alan Pritchard explained: “Liz Lake Associates was delighted to be invited to design a family garden for St Clare Hospice as it is so local to our office and such a worthy charity.

“We visited the Hospice and spoke with staff and visitors and were very touched by the care and attention to detail that was provided, such as candle lanterns on the individual terraces for sitting out in the evenings to give just one example.

“We designed the ground surfaces to run level and in similar materials as the indoor floor so that when the glass doors are open, the indoor space connects to the outdoors. We added wide decorative steps out into the adjacent green space and connected the two spaces together with three tiers of planting.

“The lower tier within the terrace is low decorative planting, the middle tier is a wavy clipped hedge and the top tier is made up of prairie planting, such as soft grasses and tall herbaceous, on a scale to connect with the larger spaces outside.

“The central feature is a formal pond with a raised edge suitable for sitting on. We proposed porcelain pots with internal lights to create the gentle glow similar to candlelight, inspired by the individual terraces.

“We were disappointed to learn that the Hospice was unable to implement the garden at its first attempt and can only support and praise their dedication to continue to keep working towards funding. We hope very much that they will be successful this time!”