Campaign spotlight: The Ever After Garden

An eye-catching winter fundraising campaign in central London has resulted in £1m being raised for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

 

It involves tens of thousands of illuminated white roses on display in Grosvenor Square, with visitors invited to donate to the charity and dedicate one of the flowers to a loved one.

 

We chart the origins of this annual campaign and how it has become a charity focal point in the capital in the run up to Christmas in recent years.

 

 

Origins of the Ever After Garden

 

The garden was founded by the charity’s trustee, Anya Hindmarch, and inspired be her friend and cinema production designer the late Michael Howells, whose work included the film Ever After. Fashion writer Camilla Morton is another co-founder.

 

The pair wanted to find an “inspiring way to remember those we have lost” and were impressed with a Korean installation called Light Rose Garden, which was first seen in Seoul 2014. This Korean installation has since been on a world tour starting in Hong Kong in 2016 and directly inspired Hindmarch and Morton to create an illuminated garden of white roses in London.

 

PANCOMMUNICATION, the group behind the Light Rose Garden, have supported and helped develop their project in the UK capital. Called the Ever After Garden, its first installation took place in London 2019 in November and December. It now takes annual at the same time of year.

 

“The Ever After Garden was born out of the need to pay tribute to those we have lost during the year,” says Hindmarch. “It was an idea conceived with Camilla Morton in memory of Michael Howells and is named after the film for which he designed the sets. However, this garden should be personal to everyone. For me, it is also in memory of my Aunt Elizabeth Hindmarch. My wish is for this to be a place to reflect at Christmas in amongst all the festive cheer, and in doing so raise money for the incredible institution that is The Royal Marsden."

 

 

What it the Ever After Garden and how it works

 

In the garden supporters of the charity can pay a minimum of £10 to dedicate one of the roses to a loved one. Visitors can also donate to the charity. Entry to the garden is free.

 

Ahead of its reopening in November 2025, charity supporters can pre-order their dedication online to be added to the garden. When it reopens each year those who have paid for a tribute can collect a “dedication marker” to leave in the garden with a handwritten message.

 

For those unable to visit the garden, volunteers can write a dedication for them and place it in the garden on their behalf. The illuminated display is in keeping with the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity’s mission: to fund state of the art equipment at the hospital and to fund research.

 

For the installation, more than 30,000 illuminated flowers, which have been created by London production house Fisher Productions, are on display. It has strong corporate backing, especially from its founding partner Grosvenor, the property management firm which owns the site.

 

Meanwhile, in 2024, its headline partner was asset manager Brookfield and its launch event partner was the hotel The Chancery Rosewood, which is opening on Grosvenor Square in 2025.

 

 

Legacy and fundraising

 

Following 2024’s fundraiser it was announced in early 2025 that the garden had raised a total of £1.2m for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. The garden is once again taking place during the winter of 2025

 

In keeping with the original movie production idea behind the garden it is backed by notable celebrity endorsement, with the actor Richard E Grant opening the 2024 garden.

 

“This is an amazing way of honouring those we have loved and lost,” says the actor.

 
“We are so grateful to everyone who has dedicated a rose in the Ever After Garden,” adds Hindmarch.

“Each dedication has contributed to this incredible fundraising milestone for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which does such important work to help improve the lives of cancer patients at The Royal Marsden, as well as across the UK and the world.

 

“I am hugely proud that the Ever After Garden continues to have a tremendous impact through the funds it raises, and by offering comfort, hope and a feeling of community to those who are missing their loved ones.”

The charity’s Managing Director Antonia Dalmahoy says: “Reaching this fundraising milestone is a testament to the hard work of Anya Hindmarch and Camilla Morton, who have been the driving force behind the Ever After Garden and its remarkable success since it began.

“The generosity of everyone who has dedicated a rose in the Ever After Garden makes a vital difference by helping the charity to fund life-saving research, from innovative clinical trials to the development of new drugs, which benefit cancer patients and their loved ones across the world.”