Celebrities with RA or something related

[cathie]

Chris Beardshaw - celebrity gardener on You and yours now (12.41) on Radio 4.

He's doing something for the Chelsea flower show for Arthritis UK I think

Great stuff - he was about 16 when it started

[Hidden]

Interesting and also inspiring..better to read or see people with RA than can rather than can't, sorry if that doesn't make sense!

[allanah]

Gosh I have have trouble just putting in bulbs!

[cathie]

Well I'll be watching the chelsea flower show things now! He sounds amazing

[Hidden]

In my Spring edition of Arthritis UK it stated that they are doing a garden for the Chelsea Flower Show.

[Sailaway]

Is Chris Beardshaw the new gardener on Beechgrove Garden?

[cathie in reply to Sailaway]

Im not sure but hes v brave

[charliebloke1]

I've been a big fan of Chris's garden designs for a good few years now but I never knew this about him & he's shot up in my estimation even more!!!

I've just copied this from his website about the garden he is creating with Arthritis UK for Chelsea this year:

“I was diagnosed with a form of rheumatoid arthritis in my early teens and was told I would most likely be in a wheelchair at the age of 19 years old. So, not only do I have a very strong personal reason why I was so keen to work with Arthritis Research UK, but I wanted to create a garden that reflects the way people with arthritis feel about the disease and to translate those emotions into a sequence of vistas and a journey through the garden. Each stage in the garden provides a very specific purpose and the planting combinations and even individual plants, all have relevance. I want this garden to showcase what Arthritis Research UK represents and for people who visit the garden to learn about the journey that people with arthritis go on” - Chris Beardshaw.

How about that then? How much will this help to raise awareness of RA!! . . The television coverage is always huge for Chelsea & think of all the people attending who'll be making a Bee-Line over to Chris's garden solely on his reputation. It's been a while since I last visited Chelsea so I think i'll make the effort to go & see "Our" garden in the flesh as it were!!

[charliebloke1]

youtube.com/watch?feature=p...

Maybe I should have just copied this.

[cathie]

Thanks for this link. Hes an amazing ambassador / role model