Bringing Care Closer to Home in Cameroon
March 28, 2024Chelsea Countdown: March Update
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is just around the corner, and we’ve been hard at work, getting our World Child Cancer Nurturing Garden ready. It’s been lots of fun working with the people (and plants!) that are helping to bring this garden to life. March has been an incredible month, as all our grand designs have started to sprout and become tangible, we can’t wait to share this experience with you all in May. In the meantime, here’s what we’re doing, and what we’ve been up to for the last month:
Nurturing the Senses
Cancer is one of the greatest challenges a child can face. Our World Child Cancer Nurturing Garden is designed to create a sensory experience that will help ground children and their families during this emotionally turbulent time and provide some much-needed relief and respite.
Sensory stimulation can be a powerful tool for relieving stress and anxiety. The 54321 technique is used to ground people going through periods of overwhelming emotion by prompting them to engage with their surroundings, bringing them out of their heads and into their environment. Try it yourself: Look around and find 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste. You don’t need to actually touch or taste them; just focus on the feelings they would evoke. Feeling grounded yet?
We want to create a place where, regardless of how overwhelmed or scared children facing cancer and their families may be, they can find a moment of peace, and it doesn’t stop at Chelsea.
After the Flower Show finishes, we’re moving our World Child Cancer Nurturing Garden to Young Lives vs. Cancer’s CLIC House in Bristol to continue to provide relief and serenity for children with cancer.
Our Trip to the Nursery
Accessing child cancer treatment can be incredibly challenging in Cameroon. Many areas are remote, and reaching hospitals with the facilities to provide specialist care can be difficult. Children are much less likely to be diagnosed, and face barriers to accessing and continuing treatment due distance from specialist centres and limited capacity of local paediatric care. Thanks to the support of Foundation S, we will improve equitable access to diagnosis, treatment and care for children with cancer, as close as possible to their homes, through the development of shared care networks.
Seeing the progress of our plants was absolutely incredible, and further built our anticipation for getting to show you all our garden at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Sustainability and Inclusion in Gardening
Giulio, alongside the RHS’s sustainability manager, Malcom Anderson, and fellow garden designer, Jo Thompson, held a seminar at the Italian Cultural Institute in London, discussing some of the sustainable gardening techniques and inclusivity features that will be used in our Nurturing Garden at RHS Chelsea.
Looking forward to Chelsea
March has been an incredible month for us, we’re really looking forward to being able to share all of this work with you at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
If you haven’t got your tickets yet, book them here!
And we’d like to say a huge thank you to Giulio Giorgi, Project Giving Back, Hortus Loci and Landesigns for all of their help making this garden a reality.
Chelsea Countdown: March Update
Thank you for allowing us to work towards reducing child mortality in Malawi whilst increasing wellbeing and quality of life
Designing a Sensory Garden Experience for Children with Cancer
The World Child Cancer Nurturing Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show offers hope for children worldwide battling cancer. Designed with Giulio Giorgi, it symbolises resilience and solidarity. Luke Thomas, CEO of World Child Cancer, highlights the urgency of addressing global disparities in cancer survival rates.
How does supporting our RHS Chelsea Nurturing Garden impact the children we help?
The World Child Cancer Nurturing Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show offers hope for children worldwide battling cancer. Designed with Giulio Giorgi, it symbolises resilience and solidarity. Luke Thomas, CEO of World Child Cancer, highlights the urgency of addressing global disparities in cancer survival rates.
Discover More Stories…
Uttam’s Story
Meet Uttam – just one of the 662 children as part of our ‘Closing the Cancer Gap’ appeal, including matched funding from the UK Government.
Read moreAlile’s Story
Discover Alile’s journey through cancer as recounted by her mother, from the initial symptoms to diagnosis and treatment.
Read moreNaa’s Story
We first met Naa in 2016 when she was diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumour at 7 years old. In 2021 the cancer returned and Naa underwent treatment again. She has battled cancer twice and is now back in school.
Read moreJoseph’s update
We first met Joseph in 2019 after he was diagnosed with Leukaemia. Find out more how he is doing after his successful treatment.
Read moreKayin’s story
Kayin was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma. He is now working as a carpenter and is feeling happy and strong.
Read moreRebecca’s Update
Read more about our catch-up with Rebecca after undergoing cancer treatment through World Child Cancer in Ghana six years ago.
Read moreHassan’s story
14-year-old Hassan from the Machinga district of Malawi was diagnosed with Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) last year.
Read moreTiwo’s story
Five years after developing cancer and two years of treatment later, six-year-old Tiwo is doing well
Read moreFranklyn’s Story
Meet Franklyn, now 17, who is fully recovered from cancer and dreams of becoming a doctor to help others
Read moreRebecca’s Success Story
Rebecca is now able to return to school after undergoing cancer treatment through World Child Cancer in Ghana
Read moreMy road to recovery
Prince went on to become a childhood cancer advocate and help many other children just like him when he recovered from leukaemia. Read More
Read moreEstaphanie is excited to start university!
Meet Estaphanie, who is excited to start university after being forced to take time out of school following a cancer diagnosis
Read moreMeet Bulu
Bulu is looking forward to following in his brother’s footsteps getting back on the football field
Read more