The Duchess of Cornwall was announced as the first President of Maggie’s Centres in November 2008 during a visit to Maggie’s London.  Laura Lee, Chief Executive of Maggie's, said: “I am honoured that our President, Her Royal Highness, will be opening our new garden at Maggie’s Dundee.  The Duchess has visited Maggie’s Edinburgh and Maggie’s London and on both occasions was very taken with the work that takes place within the centres.  The new garden at Dundee is a groundbreaking step for Maggie’s, as we open our first ever therapeutic landscaping project, which will form an intrinsic part of the healing experience for centre users. We are therefore delighted that The Duchess will be at this most important occasion for Maggie’s.”

Her Royal Highness will meet with key NHS stakeholders and families who use Maggie’s Dundee during the visit, as well as take a walking tour of the garden with Arabella Lennox-Boyd, who will explain the inspiration behind her stunning design.

The design is the first of its kind for Maggie’s, and uses dramatic, stepped earthworks around a new thirty-three meter diameter labyrinth which visually links the hospital to the Maggie’s Centre. Arabella Lennox-Boyd’s design echoes the surrounding hills and reflects the beliefs held by both Maggie Keswick Jencks and Arabella Lennox-Boyd in the therapeutic nature of the landscape.

This new landscape acts as an amphitheatre-like place for contemplation, with the aim that people, children and families can find both peace and amusement walking through its complex curves and paths.  A separate small garden, planted with flowering shrubs and roses, can be used as an additional outside room for patients and their families. Overall, the effect is striking, as the outside of the building is swathed in ivy and dramatic grasses, whilst in the wider landscape, azaleas and rhododendrons along with many native Scottish species and flowering trees will provide colour and texture throughout the year.

Maggie’s Dundee is a remarkable centre, designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry as his first UK commission.  It incorporates his signature curving walls and unusual roofing whilst capturing the principal aim of Maggie’s Centres to provide a welcoming and uplifting environment within which to provide professional emotional and psychological support to help change the way people live with cancer. The aim of the new landscape commission was to create a garden which was visually exciting and provided a publicly accessible amenity of lasting value. Maggie’s decided to work with Arabella Lennox-Boyd on this unique project because of her thoughtful response to the needs of the site, and a shared belief in the power of the environment on healing – a philosophy Maggie herself championed throughout her work.

The centre is in a spectacular location with beautiful views of the Tay and it has been the intention, since opening in September 2003, to landscape the grounds around it. Thanks to generous donations it has been possible to realise this project and open the garden to create a peaceful and uplifting place not just for people who use the Maggie’s Centre, but for anyone visiting Ninewells Hospital. The garden will also feature a sculpture by the artist Antony Gormley.

Laura Lee, Maggie’s CEO, said: “We are proud to unveil this imaginative and practical landscaped garden, in full summer bloom, with the knowledge that it will bring great benefits to visitors of Maggie’s and Ninewells Hospital. I am simply in awe of Arabella’s dramatic design, and don’t doubt that the garden will enthuse people across all generations.  At Maggie’s we greatly value the power of design and environment to lift people’s spirits and I don’t think that anyone can deny the power of this garden to induce positivity, creativity and reflection in individuals. The partnership between Maggie’s Centres, NHS Tayside and dedicated local supporters has made this landscaped garden possible and we are most appreciative for the gifting of the design by Arabella.”

Arabella Lennox-Boyd said “My initial thought is how impressed I have been with the way in which the staff of the Maggie’s Centre and the Local NHS Authority have worked together to make this extraordinary project possible.  I am delighted to have been involved and hope that my garden gives pleasure and peace to all those who use it.  Maggie Keswick Jencks was herself a wonderful landscape designer and her original blueprint for the centres placed great emphasis on the role of the landscape and outdoor space in creating a relaxing environment with the emphasis on stress reduction and healing. I am delighted to have been involved in such a moving and worthwhile project, combining excellence in design with the best of the human spirit.”

NHS Tayside has generously donated £125,000 towards the project. Professor Tony Wells, Chief Executive of NHS Tayside, said, “The new garden is an inspirational addition to our Ninewells site and we are delighted to have been able to help Maggie’s transform this landscape.  The outdoor environment which visitors will be able to enjoy will make a real difference to patients and their families.”

16,572 visits were made to Maggie’s Dundee last year and this is expected to increase year on year as more people are living with cancer.  Douglas Mason, who was a regular visitor to Maggie’s Dundee, left his £50,000 legacy for the garden project with the wish that he wanted to extend access to Maggie’s and provide a beneficial space for visitors around the centre – this landscape will fulfil those aims.

Kenneth Mason, Douglas’ brother, said: “Douglas felt wonderful outdoor spaces were phenomenally nurturing places for him and other people with cancer to spend time away from the hospital.  He valued the support he received from Maggie’s Dundee but wanted to do more to ensure others with cancer had the chance to enjoy the outdoor surroundings as much as he had near the end of his life.  He would have adored the completed garden and myself and the rest of the family are taking great pleasure in knowing that others are now greatly benefiting from this beautiful space, which he helped to create.”

The Dundee garden will be supportive for visitors in two new ways.  Firstly it will make access to the centre easier for visitors. In the past visitors to Maggie’s made their way across a slope from the hospital. Secondly the landscape will extend the space in which Maggie’s can provide their programme of cancer support – allowing them to offer Tai Chi and other classes outside.  It will also provide an uplifting space for visitors to sit and get some fresh air – both visitors to Maggie’s and the Ninewells Hospital.

ENDS...

For more information, including images, please contact:

National enquiries

Brunswick Arts, Katie McCrory / Mary Barrington Ward,

E: maggies2@brunswickgroup.com
T: 020 7936 1271

Regional enquiries
Maggie’s Centres, Tricia Williams
E: tricia.williams@maggiescentres.org
T: 0141 341 5678

Notes to the editor:

Maggie’s:

Maggie’s Centres offers a programme of information, psychological support and relaxation to people with cancer, their friends and families.  A range of services are on offer, including, tai chi, relaxation classes, one-to-one sessions with psychologists, group therapy, nutrition classes, benefits advice, library of material, etc.

There are currently six existing centres - Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Fife, The Highlands and London.  There are three interim facilities – Lanarkshire, SW Wales and Oxford.

Arabella Lennox-Boyd:

Of Italian birth, Arabella lives in England and has been a landscape designer for over forty years. Her many commissions range from small town gardens to large historical country landscapes worldwide. Among her large projects are the National Trust garden at Ascott House, Berkshire; the gardens at Eaton Hall, Cheshire; roof gardens for contemporary commercial buildings in London’s City and in Hong Kong and a parkland in Dallas, Texas. Arabella has also published several books, and lectures on her work throughout the UK, Italy and in the USA.  Arabella is on several horticultural committees and other voluntary organisations.