Subaru UK & Ireland Donates Award-Winning ‘Subaru Cocoon’ Garden to charity for people with spinal injuries, Horatio’s Garden

• Subaru partners with Horatio’s Garden, a charity that creates transformative gardens at NHS spinal injury rehabilitation centres
• Subaru to donate award-winning RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival show garden, the ‘Subaru Cocoon’ to charity as part of partnership
• Garden installed in Horatio’s Garden South West at Salisbury District Hospital, thoughtfully adapted to be fully accessible for patients and visitors
• Subaru Cocoon was conceived to draw urgent attention to the UK’s critically endangered temperate rainforests and was designed around Subaru’s safety messaging
• Designed by Mike McMachon Studio, the installation won five awards at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival 2025, including Best Show Garden
• The partnership reflects Subaru’s commitment to sustainability, care, and making a positive and lasting impact beyond the showground
• The International Day of Forests is celebrated annually on March 21 to raise awareness about the importance of all types of forests and trees

20 March 2026 – Subaru UK & Ireland has partnered with Horatio’s Garden, the charity which creates and expertly staffs extraordinary gardens at NHS spinal injury rehabilitation centres across the UK.

Through the partnership, Subaru UK & Ireland has donated its award-winning ‘Subaru Cocoon’ show garden, which captivated judges and visitors alike at the most recent RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, for installation at a spinal injury rehabilitation centre at Horatio’s Garden South West at Salisbury District Hospital. The formal announcement coincides with the International Day of Forests, which is celebrated annually on March 21 to raise awareness about the importance of all types of forests and trees.

The garden, originally conceived to draw attention to the crisis faced by the UK’s rapidly shrinking temperate rainforest, has been sensitively adapted and repurposed to provide pleasure and a place of calm and comfort to people with spinal injuries, their families and hospital staff.

Lorraine Bishton, Managing Director at Subaru UK & Ireland, said: “From the outset, the Subaru Cocoon Garden was designed to be more than a one-off show garden; it was meant to spark debate and draw attention to an element of the natural world in need of careful preservation: our rapidly shrinking temperate rainforests. We also wanted it to live on after the show, and now, through our partnership with Horatio’s Garden, it will.

“Horatio’s Garden does extraordinary work providing spaces of genuine sanctuary and healing for people facing life-changing spinal injuries - and the loved ones who support them. Partnering with them and ensuring the garden - and its vital conservation message - would continue to thrive under their custodianship.”

Horatio’s Garden creates and expertly staffs beautiful, vibrant gardens outside the clinical starkness of NHS spinal injury centres. The gardens offer space for reflection and adjustment, privacy and solace, and moments of joy and companionship for everyone who needs them. Evidence consistently shows that access to these gardens improves mental and physical well-being, reduces pain, and supports long-term recovery for people navigating life-changing spinal injuries.

Katie Tait, CEO of Horatio’s Garden said: “A spinal injury can be a devastating blow, with many people facing months of rehabilitation and an increased risk of anxiety and depression. That’s why we are absolutely delighted that this award‑winning garden is being brought to life within Horatio’s Garden South West and thoughtfully adapted for people using wheelchairs or hospital beds. We are deeply grateful to Subaru for its extraordinary support and for recognising how a calming, immersive space just moments from the hospital ward can make such a transformative difference.”

Background on The Subaru Cocoon Garden
The Subaru Cocoon Garden was conceived to highlight one of the UK’s most pressing, overlooked environmental crises: the near-extinction of Britain’s temperate rainforests. Once spanning 20% of the UK and Ireland, these rich, biodiverse ecosystems have dwindled to less than 1% of their former size. The temperate rainforest is among the most threatened habitats in the UK.

Created by Subaru UK & Ireland in collaboration with the Mike McMahon Studio, the Cocoon Garden evokes the quiet majesty of the rainforest, drawing visitors into a calming environment of texture, shadow and native planting.

Before being installed in its new home, the Subaru Cocoon has been thoughtfully modified to ensure it is fully accessible and welcoming to all those who will benefit from it. Adaptations have been made with the specific needs of Horatio’s Garden patients in mind, including those using wheelchairs or requiring bed access, ensuring that the garden’s restorative qualities can be enjoyed by everyone who visits.

ENDS

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About Subaru
Every Subaru vehicle is built with people in mind. It is why all the models in the range offer the very best protection, with a host of advanced safety features fitted as standard. Subaru is known for its outstanding capabilities – both on and off-road, whatever the conditions, thanks to innovative technology, permanent All-Wheel Drive (AWD), and ever-dependable, rugged reliability.

Consisting of four models, the Subaru range includes the Forester e-BOXER, Outback, Crosstrek, and the all-electric Solterra, each embodying safety, capability, and reliability at their core. So much so, that Subaru was voted as the top manufacturer in the renowned Auto Express Driver Power customer satisfaction Survey for 2025. 

Since 1954, Subaru has been making cars for everyday life and every challenge. Whether it’s a hiking holiday or the school run – capability, safety, and reliability are engineered into every Subaru, earning a reputation for engineering excellence.

About Horatio’s Garden
After the devastating blow of a spinal injury, the future can seem bleak. Life may never feel the same again for the person injured or for the family and friends who support them. Most people will spend three to nine months in a specialist spinal injury centre, often far from home and at heightened risk of anxiety and depression.

That’s why having a beautifully designed, expertly staffed garden outside the ward is so vital. Our gardens offer space for reflection and adjustment, privacy and solace, and moments of joy and companionship for everyone who needs them. We run gardening sessions to grow and cultivate plants, arts workshops to discover new skills, and a varied programme of live music and events.

Our mission is to open a garden in all 11 NHS spinal injury centres so that no one has to face a life‑changing injury or months in hospital without a Horatio’s Garden.

www.horatiosgarden.org.uk