Date: Friday 12th September
Time: 1-4pm
Location: Kings Heath Park, Birmingham, B14 7TQ
Download a map of our location in the park.
Entry cost: This is a free event. No booking required
Join us to enjoy the amazing spaces that have been created to support therapeutic gardening programmes for the Birmingham community. Come along and tour of the gardens, enjoy refreshments and purchase plants to take home.
Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Thanks to National Lottery players, we were awarded funding for a two year project to maintain the integrity of the original garden design at Thrive, Birmingham while making improvements to access, signage and literature to reveal the garden’s rich heritage.
Originally developed between the early 1970s and mid-1990s, these gardens were created for a variety of popular gardening television programmes. Fans of Gardening Today and Gardeners’ World may recognise familiar features that once appeared weekly on screen. The gardens also served as the outdoor broadcast site for the iconic Pebble Mill Studios.
Many well-known garden designers helped develop parts of the garden, with work by John Brookes, Dan Pearson, Robin Williams and Bonita Bulaitis still on show.
In addition to their media fame, the gardens have long played a vital role in horticultural training, supporting programmes through the School of Horticulture in partnership with Pershore and Bournville Colleges.
Today the gardens are used for Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH) programmes, where trained practitioners and dedicated volunteers work with client gardeners to support their physical, mental and social health through gardening. At the heart of the inner-city community, this special and safe space is now accessible to even more people who are looking to benefit from time in nature. We’re proud to showcase and celebrate Thrive, Birmingham as a working garden and therapeutic space supporting people in the community who are living with a wide range of health needs.
During your visit, you’ll have the chance to tour the gardens and see many of the original garden features alongside new developments. Accessibility improvements have been a major part of the project, with upgraded paths, clearer signage, a new sheltered workspace for all-weather activities, restored buildings, enhanced wildlife habitats, and a growing programme of community and family-friendly events.
To view an enlarged version of Thrive Birmingham's garden map click here.
