Team King’s helps Chelsea Flower Show garden bloom

03 May 2024 - Colleagues from King’s are part of a project bringing a stilt house to this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, helping to raise awareness of a charity initiative to treat skin diseases.

A garden telling the story of the Burma Skincare Initiative, a charity co-founded by King’s College Hospital consultant dermatologist Professor Chris Griffiths OBE and Guy’s and St Thomas’ dermatologist Dr Su Lwin, will be on display at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May 2024.

The Burma Skincare Initiative ‘Spirit of Partnership Garden’ tells the story of the charity’s work to help healthcare workers in Burma (also known as Myanmar) treat children and adults with painful and debilitating skin conditions. The garden has been created by designer Helen Olney, working with the landscaping team at Conquest Creative Spaces.

Professor Griffiths, explained: “Skin disease has a major impact on a person’s quality of life and mental health and can impose severe limitations on their ability to work. In Myanmar, we met many people, including hundreds of children in orphanages, with skin diseases. Their suffering and resilience motivated us to improve access to skincare in the country through partnerships between international and local dermatology communities and industry.

Dermatologists and specialist nurses will be welcoming visitors to the garden during the week of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which runs from 21 – 25 May 2024.

Professor Griffiths added: “The garden has been designed with great skill and care. All the plants are found in Myanmar and grow happily in the UK. A number of them represent skin disease, while a stilt house, above a water lily pool indicates the sanctuary the charity provides.  We’re incredibly proud of our work, and this opportunity to put skin health in the spotlight at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is a once-in-a lifetime event.”

For more information about The Burma Skincare Initiative, visit https://www.burmaskincare.org/