Explore the Stroke Association’s virtual garden

The leaves may be pixels, the flowers raster images, and the lawn determined by colour value in HTML, but the Stroke Association’s virtual garden is as carefully landscape designed as a real garden.

 

The virtual garden has been developed following the charity’s first garden at the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show in 2024.

 

By taking it online the charity is offering a place to visit virtually for those who have had a stroke and their families. Supporters can also leave a donation for the charity within its flower beds and trees. It is understood it is the UK charity sector’s first fundraising digital garden.

 

We look in detail at how the charity’s virtual garden was created and how it is helping the charity.

 

 

Designing a virtual garden

 

The idea for a virtual garden for donors and supporters emerged from the Stroke Association’s first garden to be on display at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show. At the event in 2024 its “garden for recovery” was created to support stroke survivors in their recovery. This was developed by landscape designer Miria Harris, who had a stroke in 2019.

 

She designed the garden from her own experience to make it “immersive, calm, and optimistic” and a place for “solitude or to connect with loved ones”.

 

“The garden mirrors the Stroke Association’s purpose, to support every stroke survivor to achieve their best possible recovery,” Harris explains about her design.

 

“I didn’t know about the charity until quite late on in my recovery, and I wish someone had told me about them sooner. Part of the reason I want to do this garden is to raise more awareness of their work, so more people can get the support they need.”

 

This ethos and design have been transferred to the screen for its virtual garden. Called Strength in Bloom, the Stroke Association’s virtual garden has been created through sponsorship from UK garden centre chain Dobbies, which has worked with the charity since 2020.

 

Its other support includes awareness raising, supporting local groups and providing access to allotments and gardening as rehabilitation for stroke patients.

 

In addition, Harris’  RHS show garden has been reconfigured and moved to a permanent location near to the stroke unit at Chapel Allerton Hospital in Leeds.

 

“The garden is a lovely place for people like me and my family to use to help with my recovery,” said Kevin Doughty, who was a patient at the unit during the summer of 2024.

 

“It’s very peaceful and helps me reconnect with the outside world and build confidence while having rehabilitation therapy."

 

 

Explore, support, donate

 

The virtual garden includes a pathway around a small pond, complete with lily pads. These paths lead to an ornate bench and a sculpted wall with plaques in memory of loved ones.

 

Lights surround the pond and the flowers are a range of colours including purple, yellow, and white. Meanwhile butterflies dance in the sky above an around the trees that flank the garden.

 

It has incorporated elements of Harris’ real-life garden to include calming elements and includes sound “to enhance the sensory aspect”. Currently it is set up to work on desktops only.

 

Flowers, a bench or a plaque can be bought by donors “in celebration of your loved one”, says the charity. People can also visit other supporters’ dedications.

 

Visitors can move around through their keyboard, with W to move forward, S to move backward, and A and D to move side to side. In addition, a navigation guide has been made available for people to offer further help on exploring the garden.

 

This explains how the garden can be visited anytime 24/7 and its designed to mimic the current UK time. However, visits can change this setting so that they can visit at sunset, sunrise or see it illuminated at night. This is operated by a ‘show time control’ button with a slider to change the time.

 

Stroke Association Chief Executive Juliet Bouverie describes the garden as a “digital haven filled with the healing power of nature” and full of virtual ways people can support or donate to the charity.

 

“We’re asking people to dedicate a symbolic flower, tree or plaque to celebrate the resilience of a stroke survivor or honour the memory of a loved one lost to stroke,” she says.  

 

“We hope people can share stories of strength, find a sense of tranquillity and reach a community from anywhere in the world.”

 

She adds: “Our digital garden will help us to achieve our ambitious new goal; to reach everyone with stroke support as quickly as possible after their stroke, while also creating a beautiful, lasting legacy.”