RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026

BREATHING SPACE

‘This garden is a love letter to breath’ …

…so said the CEO of A+LUK Sarah Sleet which beautifully sums up our 2 years from inception to show week.

A show garden sponsored by Project Giving Back and in partnership with Asthma + Lung UK, we explored the idea of ‘ The beauty of empty space’ - a Japanese concept known as ‘Yohaku no bi’ and ‘Ma’, ‘The beauty of empty time.’….. Seen not as a lack of something but as an opportunity for infinite potentiality.

Based on Kate Binnie’s and Anne Hutchinson’s research at Hull York Medical School, the Breathing space concept speaks of the need for rest, reconnection and gentle breath-based practices such as Yoga, Tai chi, singing; all evidenced based to improve lung health.

Designed to be both challenging and enabling, with pause points and level changes, relaxing water and generous views, our garden was woven with breath related materials. Recycled oxygen cylinders were repurposed to support the floating terrace; our shou sugi ban boundary was designed on a 6/4 rhythm, hinting at rectangular breathing (to reduce breathlessness and anxiety) and our beautiful sculpture sat atop a plinth made from coal sweepings from the last decommissioned power station in the UK.

Perhaps no one summed up the breathing space garden better than one of our helpers [Sara] during the show week.

“What you, Angus, and the A & L team created was genuinely extraordinary. I heard so much admiration throughout the day, but what stayed with me most were the stories and connections the garden inspired. There were people living with asthma, relatives of miners, and so many from Rotherham, Sheffield, and the surrounding communities. The garden seemed to create an atmosphere of trust that encouraged people, especially men, to open up and share deeply personal experiences. I honestly couldn’t believe how willing people were to connect and talk.”

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