29 May, 2024
Gardens are healing spaces. They boost physical and mental health and provide a safe, calm haven and a connection to nature which is important for us all.
Our (BRAVE) ‘Highlighting Hereditary Cancer’ Garden, featured at this years Bord Bia Bloom Festival, has been designed to raise awareness of hereditary cancer. The majority of cancers occur by chance. These are known as ‘sporadic’ cancers. However, breast and ovarian cancer occurs more often than usual in some families due to their genetic make-up. This type of cancer is known as ‘hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. About 5 to 10% of cancers are hereditary.
St James’s Hospital runs the largest high risk breast cancer clinic and specialist cancer genetics service in Ireland. The BRAVE campaign fund is hosted by the St James's Hospital Foundation and provides funding for services and research for patients with, and at high risk of, developing hereditary breast and ovarian cancer
The garden itself will be a place of reflection, it will symbolise the genetic variation that occurs in some families that can increase their risk of certain cancers. The garden will also embody the sense of wellbeing that nature promotes.
The garden is modern with an organic layout. Sculptural aspects include the DNA double helix water feature that is inspired by DNA strands that contain our genetic code.
The garden incorporates a seating area which appears to float above an elliptical pool enclosed within planting. Service users and their families are represented within the garden where their thoughts and messages are displayed for visitors to read.
With an interest in architecture and a passion for plants, the garden designer Linda McKeown has been designing private, public and commercial spaces since 2001 and is a member of the Garden & Landscape Designers Association. She marries the building’s architecture, surrounding landscape, and the client’s lifestyle requirements with sympathetic, naturalistic planting to create beautiful and sustainable gardens.
A special thanks to Exact Sciences and Gilead Sciences, our sponsors for the Bord Bia Bloom Festival 2024.
Media Queries
Caoimhe Nic Allabroin
Head of Communications
St James’s Hospital
email: communications@stjames.ie
Phone: 087 096 8321
Other Queries
Dr Sarah McGarrigle
Research Project Manager/ Adjunct Assistant Professor
Email: smcgarrigle@stjames.ie