Patrick Clarke wins Chelsea Gold Medal
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Patrick Clarke wins a Gold-medal for The Children’s Society Garden at the RHS Chelsea 2026.
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Patrick Clarke’s Gold-medal garden for The Children’s Society
Patrick Clarke has been awarded a Gold Medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 for designing The Children's Society Garden, created to highlight the growing teenage wellbeing crisis across the UK.
The Main Avenue show garden combines sustainable design with a strong social message, aiming to raise awareness of the pressures facing young people while promoting the importance of early intervention and emotional support.
Inspired by the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, meaning “imperfect beauty,” the garden reworks reclaimed and discarded materials into calm, restorative spaces surrounded by resilient planting. The design reflects the resilience and creativity of young people while encouraging reflection, connection and wellbeing.
The project was developed in collaboration with a group of young people aged 14–20 supported by the charity, who worked alongside Patrick Clarke over an 18-month period as “Young Creative Partners.” Their involvement included workshops in stained glass, sculpture, furniture making and planting design, with several also participating in the physical build at Chelsea.
The Children's Society chief executive Mark Russell said the garden shines a light on an urgent national issue, noting that one in four 15-year-olds in the UK report low life satisfaction.
He described the garden as a message of hope and long-term commitment to improving young people’s lives through earlier support and intervention.
Patrick Clarke said the collaboration with young people had been central to the project, helping create a sanctuary where teenagers can feel “seen, safe and connected.”
The garden incorporates reclaimed hard landscaping, sheltered seating spaces and low-maintenance planting designed to create a therapeutic and environmentally conscious setting for reflection, conversation and support.
Following the show, the garden will relocate permanently to Central Bedfordshire Council’s Leighton Buzzard Youth Centre, becoming The Children's Society first permanent outdoor wellbeing space for young people.
The project has been supported by Project Giving Back, which funds cause-led gardens at Chelsea and supports their long-term community legacy.