A NORTH Yorkshire woman who enabled a collaboration between Army veterans and horticultural experts has been recognised for the part she played in winning silver at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Faith Douglas, curator at Thorp Perrow Arboretum, near Bedale, played a key role in the Welcome to Yorkshire show garden; ‘God’s Own Country – A Garden for Yorkshire’ at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The silver-medal winning garden was designed by Matthew Wilson, former head of RHS Harlow Carr in Harrogate, and was inspired by the Great East Window of York Minster, which is the largest single expanse of medieval stained glass in the UK.

It incorporates planting and landscaping designed to reflect the wider Yorkshire landscape as well as the Minster.

Faith and a team of veterans from Help for Heroes Phoenix House Recovery Centre at Catterick Garrison, spent two weeks constructing and planting the garden.

Thorp Perrow has a close association with Phoenix House. In 2012, beneficiaries from Phoenix House helped create the Heroes Garden at Thorp Perrow with Faith, who also runs gardening activities at the centre. Beneficiaries regularly visit the arboretum as part of their Health and Wellbeing course.

Help for Heroes Team Manager, Jill Grainge, said: “We are delighted to have the ongoing support of Faith and the team at Thorp Perrow. For some of our beneficiaries, gardening plays a big part in the recovery.

“Those who took part in the construction and planting of Welcome to Yorkshire’s garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, benefitted in all sorts of ways from learning new skills, working again as part of a team – something they are well trained for in military service, and gained a huge sense of pride and achievement, above all helping them regain confidence.”