The head of a Devon winery has spoken of his deep pride for supporting Horatio's Garden charity, which won gold and Best in Show at the Chelsea Flower Show with a wheelchair accessible design by Exeter and London-based landscape design duo Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg.

Horatio's Garden is a charitable organisation that creates and maintains beautiful and accessible gardens at NHS spinal injury centres. It is designed to be a sanctuary for patients with a therapeutic outdoor space specifically designed to be wheelchair accessible where they can relax, escape the clinical environment, and engage with nature.

Duncan Schwab, CEO and head winemaker at Sandridge Barton, the home of Sharpham Wine, has supported the charity by offering celebratory wine. 

He said: “We're so proud to support Horatio's Garden charity which provides beautiful spaces to help with the well-being and quality of life for people with spinal injuries. 

“Connecting with nature and the healing power of gardens positively impacts the lives of patients and their families and we were delighted to support them in a small way with some wine for their VIP visitors to the Chelsea Flower Show, and even more delighted that this beautiful garden won Best in Show.”

The garden was designed to be experienced by spinal injury patients from a bed or wheelchair. It will be relocated to the Princess Royal Spinal Injuries Centre in Sheffield in 2024, offering an area of sanctuary to long-term patients, families and NHS staff and improve their wellbeing.

Horatio's Garden charity has gardens at six other NHS spinal injury centres across the UK including Horatio's Garden South West, based at Salisbury District Hospital. 

The charity is named in memory of Horatio Chapple, who had the original idea to create a garden for patients with spinal injuries and their loved ones while volunteering at the Duke of Cornwall Spinal Treatment Centre in Salisbury during his school holidays. The first garden opened in 2012 and following its enormous success, a nationwide charity was formed with the mission to open a Horatio's Garden in all 11 UK spinal injury centres.

- ENDS - 

PR Contact

Please contact Hanna China, RAW Food and Drink PR, for further information or images:

07702 031 956 / hanna@rawfoodanddrinkpr.co.uk 

Notes to editors

About Sandridge Barton, the home of Sharpham Wine

Situated in a picturesque valley in the South Hams, Sandridge Barton Wines may appear to be a new face on the UK wine scene, but its Devon-based vineyards and winery have been growing grapes and making wine since 1981. Producing over 80 tonnes of fruit per year from their current 32-acre vineyards. Set in a south-facing bowl overlooking the River Dart, the vineyard is planted with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier, Madeleine Angevine, Bacchus, Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc.

A unique marriage of climate, soil and grape varieties, combined with Sandridge Barton's meticulous care, experience and winemaking skills, make them one of the foremost wine producers within the UK.

Sharpham Wines were established on the west bank of the river Dart in 1981 and were one of the original 'first wave' of vineyards planted in the UK.  Situated on the Sharpham Estate for over 40 years, Sharpham Wines established a well-known tourist attraction which eventually outgrew its facilities.  In 2020 the opportunity arose to move locations across to the opposite side of the river Dart to an already established vineyard on the Sandridge Barton Estate planted in 2008, which had been supplying grapes used in the production of Sharpham Wines for over 10 years.  The project took a total of two and a half years from start to finish to build a fantastic eco-friendly winery and wonderful visitor centre and the new home, close to Stoke Gabriel, was opened in Spring 2022.