The Den, and now its adjoining garden area, is a hideaway for the young people who come to the hospice (aka ‘the squad’!), and they designed the new garden almost entirely themselves.
The design process began with consultations with the young people – they were bursting at the seams with wonderful, creative ideas for their new space! Then, we had meetings with our volunteer gardeners and Victoria Wade, a Swansea-based landscape architect, to turn their ideas into reality.
They decided on the colour schemes and patterns, furniture and features including a pizza oven and a Bluetooth speaker so that they can have free reign over the music!
When all the final touches were in place, we had the big reveal: a party with the young people and their families. They made their own pizzas (with the help of the new oven!) and one of the siblings did some very fetching henna tattoos for everyone.
Having this space for the adolescents is a must. Many young people with complex needs or limited mobility do not experience the freedom they need because much of the outside world is inaccessible for them.
Through our work with young people, we make sure that they have peer support as they transition into adulthood and adult services.
Here, they are empowered by their freedom and build their confidence and independence.
The Den and the Founder’s Legacy Den Garden are fully accessible spaces, equipped with everything the young people need: inclusivity, activities, refreshments and their friends. Above all else, they give the young people the opportunity to freely be themselves as adolescents.
Did you know?
The Founder’s Legacy Den Garden is the legacy of Suzanne Goodall, our founder. She made it clear that her legacy gift was to be used to support young people transitioning to adult services. Plus, Suzanne’s greatest passion outside of Tŷ Hafan was gardening – if she wasn’t talking about Tŷ Hafan, she was talking about gardening!