RAF Benevolent Fund ambassador gets green-fingered for Chelsea Flower Show
Stuart Robinson, from Carnforth in Lancaster, met with garden designer John Everiss to choose flowers and plant seeds for the RAF Benevolent Fund garden, due to be unveiled at Chelsea Flower Show on 24-28 May.
Stuart, an ambassador for the RAF Benevolent Fund, volunteered to help out at Bannister Hall Nursery in Preston, to thank the charity for the support they have provided over the years.
In 2013, Stuart was seriously injured in an IED explosion in Afghanistan, which left him with life-changing injuries. The RAF Benevolent Fund has supported Stuart with housing adaptions and sports equipment to compete at an international level at wheelchair rugby.
Stuart said: "I’m going to be attending Chelsea Flower Show and will be representing the Fund at the garden, so being a part of the planting process and then having the chance to see the flowers in full bloom next month is exciting. The RAF Benevolent Fund garden will be a moving tribute to all those who served and continue to in the RAF, and it means a lot to be a part of it."
The RAF Benevolent Fund Garden will feature a sculpture of a young pilot looking up at the sky. Standing at four metres tall and constructed from 1,200 layers of laser cut stainless steel. It has been designed to allow visitors to sit and reflect on the service and sacrifice of all RAF and civilian personnel, with the hope that it will inspire viewers to look into their own history and speak to family and friends about their connections to the RAF.