Macmillan Cancer Support at the RHS Badminton Flower Show 2026
We are proud to sponsor the Nascent Shade Garden designed by Elle Arnett, in collaboration with Artisan Landscapes which will be showcased between 8–12 July 2026.
The Macmillan Cancer Support Nascent Shade Garden is inspired by the idea that ‘A society grows strong when its people plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit.’
Leaving a gift in your will is a powerful way to do just that. It’s about looking beyond today and improving cancer care for future generations. The garden has been designed to tell a story of challenge, resilience and hope. It reflects a shared commitment to reducing inequalities in cancer care and creating a future where everyone affected by cancer can access the support they need.
The Nascent Shade Garden
Our 2026 RHS Badminton Flower Show is a quiet place to pause and reflect. The word nascent means just beginning, full of hope and future potential.
This garden shows how small, thoughtful beginnings can grow into something lasting and meaningful.
Like a seed, a gift in a will to Macmillan Cancer Support often starts unseen. With time, its impact grows and spreads far beyond the original gift. That gift becomes support, information and the best possible care for people living with cancer.
Gifts in Wills fund over a third of Macmillan’s services, helping us reach more people and ensure everyone has access to the care they need. Cancer isn’t fair. Cancer care should be. By leaving a gift, you can help us do whatever it takes to ensure everyone with cancer get access to the same level of care.
The Nascent Shade Garden is designed to inspire reflection on the impact you will leave behind. We invite those who visit the garden to consider what their lasting legacy will be.
Read on to explore our complete plant collection.
Meet the team behind the garden
Elle Arnett, Landscape Designer
Elle has been central to the creation of the Nascent Shade Garden, designing a space that visually and symbolically embodies Macmillan’s mission and reflects the journey from a quiet beginning, to a legacy that touches countless lives.
‘It has been an honour to collaborate on this garden for Macmillan Cancer Support. Together, we’ve created a space where Macmillan’s mission of hope and resilience is rooted in every
detail’ - Elle
Will Cooke, Founder & Managing Director, Artisan Landscapes
Will has been instrumental in the creation of the Nascent Shade Garden, joining forces with Macmillan to help shape a garden that reflects how a single act of generosity can leave a lasting legacy.
'I am so proud to have collaborated with Elle on this project for Macmillan. Bringing awareness to gifts in wills through this garden has been a privilege, and seeing it come to life alongside the rest of the team has been incredibly fulfilling' - Will
Behind the garden
The contrasting bark textures of birch tree reflect the reality that everyone experiences cancer differently. Many people facing cancer do not receive the treatment and support they need, often because of their background or where they live.
The reflection pool invites visitors to pause and reflect on their own life journey. Visitors can place clay tokens into the water, offering a moment to consider the legacy they wish to leave behind.
Why the plants were chosen
Astrantia major ‘Buckland’
Asarum europaeum (European wild ginger)
Geranium ‘dreamland’
From Lived Experience to Lasting Impact
Transforming personal experience into tokens of reflection
Zoe Cheale, from The Potthouse Collective, is the artist behind the clay tokens featured as part of the garden’s reflection pool, inviting visitors to consider their lasting legacy.
With The Potthouse already supporting Macmillan, Zoe was immediately drawn to the project when Artisan Landscapes approached her to get involved. “To be invited to do something on a more personal level was a fantastic and very poignant opportunity” she says.
Having a deep and personal connection to the cause, the decision to join the project was not one made lightly. “My family have been greatly affected by cancer. Two of my siblings are survivors, however we lost both our parents to cancer within 20 months of each other.” Zoe reflects.
It was her mothers dream of attending an RHS show that spurred Zoe on, channelling both memory and emotion to create the beautifully crafted, clay-fired tokens that now sit within the space for visitors to use.
Speaking about the process, Zoe explains, “The emotions I feel when holding them have been a real comfort throughout the making process. I hope that these tokens give people a moment to think of the legacy they leave behind.”
Supporting our community
The Nascent shade garden tells the story of the unfair gaps that still exist in cancer care, and Macmillan’s commitment to closing them. Across the UK, we’re increasing our network of professionals. By working with local communities and partners, we can help ensure everyone can access the support they need.
Locally in Bristol, we are working closely with Caafihealth to make cancer care fairer for everyone, whoever they are and wherever they live.
Cancer outcomes in Inner City and East Bristol are not equal. People are less likely to attend screenings or seek help for early warning signs, which leads to later diagnoses and poorer outcomes. Barriers such as language, cultural stigma and lower health literacy, can make it harder for people to get support.
Through the Cancer Champions programme, trained local volunteers work within their communities to raise awareness. They encourage open conversations about cancer, and support people to access screenings, appointments and trusted services. By breaking down stigma and building confidence in seeking help, the programme aims to improve cancer survival rates and create better experiences for Black and minoritised communities across Bristol.
If you want to know more about this collaboration, visit the CaafiHealth website.
A special thanks to our sponsors
Thank you to our wonderful garden designers, and our generous sponsors and suppliers.
Come talk to us at an event
Meet us at one of our events and find out how you can create a lasting legacy with a gift in your will to Macmillan. If no events are listed, you can register for future events.