Dementia Support asked us to submit a design for their newly established Dementia Support Hub near Chichester in West Sussex.  

There are 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK and yet it is one of the most misunderstood and taboo illnesses affecting us all.  The Hub will provide seamless and holistic care from a centre of excellence for local people living with dementia working in partnership with a range of organisations and the community. Their aim is a society where dementia is wholly understood and accepted, enabling people living with dementia to be fully supported throughout the whole of their journey.  It was inspirational to meet the team responsible for setting up Dementia Support and an amazing opportunity to be asked to come up with a possible design for the Hub's garden.  

The site itself was very challenging, on a steep slope and right next to a very busy corner.  The garden also had to take into account all the needs of people living with dementia, creating a safe place for activities, socialising and quite reflection.  

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My starting point for the design was to create spaces for the activities, rather than design the activities themselves.  It was important that the garden remained as flexible as possible so that the charity could use the space in as many different ways as possible.  I also wanted to create a "journey" through the garden as research has shown this is a particularly important feature in gardens for people living with dementia.