I hope you can empathise with my story below, or maybe you have seen and enjoyed the garden at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 19 to 23 July 2017, if so, please find it in your heart to make a donation to the charity, so that a huge amount of money can be raised in the hope that one day a research programme will find a cure for these terrible diseases. At the end of the show as much of the garden as possible will be sold or auctioned. Crohn’s and Colitis UK will receive all the proceeds.

The idea for the show garden, Facing Fear; Finding Hope, in support of Crohn's and Colitis UK, was conceived by Denise Shields. She has experienced, first hand, the devastating effects of Crohn's Disease. Her son had a severe relapse of the disease in 2013 which nearly cost him his life. It totally changed his life forever.

This garden shares the story of an individual's emotional journey of what it is like to live with Crohn's Disease, through illness and recovery. The garden was designed by Rory Tompsett (Actual Landscapes) and Peter Hulland working with Denise, and her son who provided the initial inspiration for the design. 

Every thirty minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis. Awareness of these conditions is poor. In the UK, 300,000 people are known to be affected by these conditions which affect people both physically and emotionally. Sufferers may well be in a daily battle with the often devastating impact of their symptoms but often to observers the condition is not apparent and they may appear perfectly healthy.