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Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Sensory Garden
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Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Sensory Garden
In 2004, Butler Landscapes was invited to take part in a unique project for ITV’s With A Little Help From My Friends. The programme followed Kerry Katona, who returned to her hometown to reunite with her old school friends and take on a heartfelt challenge: to design and build a sensory garden for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in just five days.
A Community Effort on National Television
What made this project so special was the spirit of teamwork behind it. Kerry’s school friends, teachers and local volunteers all rolled up their sleeves alongside our team to transform the site. Paul Butler was filmed with Kerry at the builders’ merchants, sourcing the materials that would help turn the vision into reality.
Designing for the Senses
Our design aimed to create a garden that would be playful, uplifting, and inclusive, offering a therapeutic environment for children and their families. Key features included:
- Colour and movement from bold planting schemes and sculptural elements.
- Sound introduced through bamboo chimes and musical posts.
- Texture and fragrance from carefully chosen sensory plants.
- Space to gather with seating, shade, and a welcoming central lawn.
The garden combined creativity with practicality, ensuring it could be enjoyed by children, families and staff alike.
The Outcome
In just five days, the site was completely transformed into a vibrant sensory garden. The project not only featured on national television but also left a lasting gift for Alder Hey: a joyful, restorative outdoor space that continues to support healing, play and togetherness.
For Butler Landscapes, this remains one of our most memorable achievements, a project that showcased both our design expertise and the power of community working towards a shared vision.