The David Robinson Memorial Lecture 2023

We are delighted to return to the Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown for this year’s David Robinson Memorial Lecture. This will give students the opportunity to experience a variety of disciplines in their prospective careers, while hearing from inspiring proponents in the field of horticulture. It is also a valuable opportunity for students to gain insight into the running of a World Class horticultural research centre, and we would recommend they attend the full day.

This year’s theme is ‘The Benefits of Gardens and Horticulture in a Healthcare setting’, and we are delighted to have James Alexander-Sinclair MSGC join us to talk about the gardens he has created for the Horatio’s Garden charity at the Scottish Spinal Injuries Centre, a recent garden created for a hospice.

We also welcome Marie Hirst, BSc. Hort., MCI Hort to talk about a Therapeutic Gardening Project in conjunction with the HSE in five HSE Community Healthcare East sites in 2022 and 2023.

JAMES ALEXANDER-SINCLAIR MSGD

James Alexander-Sinclair MSGC, is a renowned British garden designer. He began his career as a landscape contractor in London before moving to the English countryside in 1992. Since then he has designed private and public gardens both large and small throughout the UK and occasionally beyond. James is also a well-known writer, contributing to many of the British horticultural publications (Gardens Illustrated, English Garden, Country Life, The Garden etc) and has been voted the Garden Media Guild Garden Journalist of the year.

In 2016 James created a garden at the Scottish Spinal Injuries Centre for the Horatio’s Garden charity, he continues to oversee the garden and in 2021 accepted a role as trustee.

https://www.jamesalexandersinclair.com/practice/

About Horatio’s Garden

Horatio’s Garden nurtures the wellbeing of people after spinal injury in beautiful, vibrant sanctuaries within the heart of NHS spinal injury centres. Leading designers create the accessible gardens where the charity’s team, alongside volunteers and creatives, care for people and plants alike.

The charity’s vision is to sustainably grow thriving communities and biodiverse gardens in all 11 NHS spinal injury centres in the UK. To date it has opened six gardens in the South West, Scotland, Stoke Mandeville, Midlands, London & South East and Wales with the seventh garden under construction in Northern Ireland and the eighth planned to open in Sheffield in 2024.

Matthew Lee – Head Gardener for Horatio’s Garden Northern Ireland

Matthew graduated in May 2023 from the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) with a FdSc (Distinction) in Horticulture, winning The Raja Harun Perpetual Trophy for highest achievement in Science and Technology. After gaining eighteen years’ experience working within the NHS, Matthew changed career in 2021 to become Lead Horticulturist for Carrickfergus Urban Farm and Garden Centre, a social enterprise for adults with learning disabilities, autism, and acquired brain injury. Matthew has worked with community groups throughout Northern Ireland, delivering Horticultural Therapy workshops, tree planting initiatives and sowing wildflower meadows. This combined experience and passion for both people and horticulture alike then led Matthew to become Head Gardener for Horatio’s Garden Northern Ireland

Marie Hirst - Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner, Unwind

Marie holds a BSc in Horticulture from the Teagasc College of Amenity Horticulture in the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture (MCIH). Marie also has completed the Royal Horticultural Society Advanced Certificate in Horticulture. During her 16-year career in retail horticulture, she worked in and managed two busy garden centres.

Marie will talk about the four-week social and therapeutic horticulture project, piloted across five HSE Community Healthcare East sites in 2022.  Run by HSE Health Promotion and Improvement Officer Fiona Brauneisen and delivered by Marie, its success led to its continuation and expansion this year.