RAF Benevolent Fund ambassador & Paralympian gets green-fingered for Chelsea Flower Show

Stuart Robinson MBE, from Morecambe, met with garden designer John Everiss to choose flowers and plant seeds for the RAF Benevolent Fund garden, due to be unveiled at Chelsea Flower Show on May 24-28.

An ambassador for the RAF Benevolent Fund, Stuart volunteered to help out at Bannister Hall Nursery in Preston as a way of thanking the charity for the support they have provided him over the years.

In 2013, Stuart was seriously injured in a bomb explosion in Afghanistan which left him with life-changing injuries. The RAF Benevolent Fund has supported Stuart with housing adaptions and sports equipment to compete at international level at wheelchair rugby.

Stuart said: “I’m going to be attending Chelsea Flower Show and will be representing the fund at the garden, so being a part of the planting process and then having the chance to see the flowers in full bloom next month is exciting.

"The RAF Benevolent Fund garden will be a moving tribute to all those who served and continue to in the RAF, and it means a lot to be a part of it.”

The RAF Benevolent Fund Garden will feature a sculpture of a young pilot looking up at the sky.

Stuart achieved gold medal success at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020 and was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List 2022.