Award-winning chef Ruth Hansom helped raise money for therapeutic gardens for people with spinal injuries at a North Yorkshire event.
The event at Thorp Perrow Arboretum raised money for Horatio’s Garden, which builds gardens beside NHS spinal injury centres across the UK.
Guests toured the arboretum, joined a fungi foray and ate a seasonal lunch prepared by Ms Hansom in the Summerhouse overlooking the lake.
Thorp Perrow Summerhouse (Image: Supplied)
Dr Olivia Chapple OBE EMH, founder of Horatio’s Garden, said: "Set in the beautiful Summerhouse overlooking the Arboretum and the lake, it seemed like the perfect setting for this event, the beauty of nature reminding us why gardens and fresh air are so important for mental and physical health."
The gardens give patients and their families calm, company and enjoyment during long, difficult rehabilitation.
The money will support Horatio’s Garden projects, including a new garden being developed at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.
Thorp Perrow Summerhouse Horatio's Garden event (Image: Supplied)
Ruth Hansom, the recent National Chef of the Year, served beef tacos and vegetable soup.
Ms Hansom is known for seasonal cooking and championing Yorkshire produce.
Natasha Ropner, director and owner of Thorp Perrow Arboretum, said: "Horatio’s Garden are currently in the process of developing a new garden at the James Cook hospital in Middlesbrough, and we wanted to help support this amazing charity as they deliver their new garden in a hospital that is so important to this area of the country."
The event also featured a guided walk with curator Tom Coxhead and a mushroom hunt with fungi expert Dr Keith Thomas.
The event highlighted nature’s role in recovery and wellbeing while raising money for people facing life-changing injuries.
Thorp Perrow Arboretum in North Yorkshire is home to rare and ancient trees and opens year-round.
Colonel Sir Leonard Ropner founded the arboretum, which still reflects his passion for trees.
Horatio’s Garden creates professionally designed outdoor spaces for patients at NHS spinal injury centres.
The gardens give patients space to reflect, recover and connect with others.
A spokesperson for Horatio’s Garden said: "After the devastation of a spinal injury, the future can seem bleak.
"Life may never feel the same again for the person injured or for the family and friends who support them.
"Most people will spend three to nine months in a specialist spinal injury centre, often far from home and at heightened risk of anxiety and depression.
"That’s why having a beautifully designed, expertly staffed garden outside the ward is so vital.
"Our gardens offer space for reflection and adjustment, privacy and solace, and moments of joy and companionship for everyone who needs them.
"We run gardening sessions to grow and cultivate plants, arts workshops to discover new skills, and a varied programme of live music and events.
"Our mission is to open a garden in all 11 NHS spinal injury centres so that no one has to face a life-changing injury or months in hospital without a Horatio’s Garden."
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Darlington-born Ms Hansom trained at The Ritz and became the first woman to win Young National Chef of the Year.
She opened the Hansom restaurant in Bedale with her husband, Mark Hansom-Rigby, in 2024.
Find out more about Horatio’s Garden at www.horatiosgarden.org.uk.