Beardshaw’s garden reflects the stages and emotions that people experience when faced with a diagnosis of arthritis, from an initial lack of understanding and confusion, through to a point where they are informed about the disease and able to manage their pain.

This personal journey experienced by an arthritis sufferer is expressed through three garden areas.

It  begins with the confusion of diagnosis in the Veiled Garden, a shaded, woodland garden featuring a contemporary retreat and sculpture.

A stepping stone pathway leads to the Lucid Garden which is open and formal, representing the wide-range of information Arthritis Research UK provides to people with arthritis.

The final section, the Radiant Garden, moves the journey forward into a slightly sunken garden where exuberant, vibrant planting provides warmth, openness and confidence as the person with arthritis learns to manage their condition.

Chris Beardshaw’s Arthritis Research UK garden, mapped out out his personal journey in coping with rheumatoid arthritis was a marvel. Positioned on a rather undesirable sliver of Main Avenue, his design incorporated three elements; the ‘Veiled garden’, the ‘Lucid garden’ and the ‘Radiant garden’, reflecting the different stages in the journey of a patient diagnosed with arthritis.