We are delighted to announce that Tunbridge Wells based law firm Cripps is to be the corporate supporter of The Natural Affinity Garden for Aspens at the 2023 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The garden has been designed by Camellia Taylor, a Tunbridge Wells based designer, and selected by sponsors Project Giving Back, as one of the ‘Gardens for Good Causes’. It will be exhibited in the All About Plants category at this year’s show. The communal, sensory, accessible garden targets each of the seven senses (touch, taste, scent, sound, movement and temperature) and is designed to connect visitors with nature and maximise wellbeing.

Following the show, The Natural Affinity Garden will be relocated at the heart of our residential area in Pembury, where it can be enjoyed all year-round by our community.

Cripps will visit and help maintain the garden, once it is relocated, so it can be enjoyed for many years to come.

Mike Scott, Cripps’ senior partner, commented: “We are thrilled to be supporting Aspens at the Chelsea Flower Show. The service Aspens provides in the South East is so valuable and does so much to enhance the lives and families of those it supports. As a business, we strive to make a positive and lasting difference to the lives and businesses of others, and are excited to support a local charity where our resources can have a positive and sustainable impact.

Our firm has a special affinity with Chelsea. It was our London base for many years before we moved to nearby Victoria and is home to many of our longest-standing clients. This initiative gives us a unique opportunity to celebrate our ties to Chelsea and Tunbridge Wells and also aligns with our commitment to our community and the planet.

We are looking forward to attending the show and helping Aspens sustain the garden to provide long term benefits for the community.”

Aspens’ Chief Executive Robert Shanahan said:

“We are delighted to have the support of Cripps in our involvement with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year. This support will enable us to maximise this fantastic and unique opportunity to raise awareness of our charity as we work towards our vision for an inclusive society where every individual on the autism spectrum and with learning disabilities can thrive as part of their local community.

Seven in ten people who are autistic have challenges with their mental health and 95% experience sensory processing differences. We hope the Aspens Natural Affinity garden will provide a platform to raise awareness of the challenges faced by autistic people and those with learning disabilities.

We’re very much looking forward to working with the Cripps team and community as we prepare to exhibit the garden, during the Show week itself, and when the garden is relocated to our Pembury site, where it will provide a therapeutic haven for our community. A huge thanks to Cripps for supporting Aspens.”

Read more about The Natural Affinity for Garden for Aspens and our Chelsea journey here.