The Red Shed – Welwyn Garden City
Breaking Ground on a New Dementia‑Friendly Garden
If you’re new to The Red Shed, welcome. We’re a Hertfordshire charity offering dementia‑friendly horticultural therapy and wellbeing activities — calm, creative, nature‑based workshops designed to help people living with dementia, and their carers, feel connected, confident and supported. Our original garden in Stevenage has been running since 2018 and has become a much‑loved space for friendship, routine and joy.
Now, we’re growing.
🌿 A New Red Shed for Welwyn Garden City
This year marks a major milestone: the build of our second site at Watchlytes Primary School, in Welwyn Garden City, bringing our workshop programme to a whole new community. The expansion comes in response to increasing local need for dementia‑friendly support, and our commitment to making wellbeing activities accessible across Hertfordshire.
🛠️ June: Breaking Ground
In June, volunteers from the RO Group joined us to officially break ground. Together, we:
- Dug out new borders
- Built the first raised beds
- Gave the school bike shed a much‑needed clean and refresh
It was a brilliant start — full of teamwork, laughter and the kind of practical graft that sets the foundations for everything to come.
🏗️ Summer Build: What Happens Next
The majority of the construction will take place over the school summer holidays. During that time we’ll be:
- Installing our new activity shed (funded by Morrison’s)
- Laying accessible paths and preparing planting areas
- Securing the site with new fencing
- Setting up the garden ready for our dementia‑friendly workshops
These workshops will mirror what we already deliver in Stevenage: gentle gardening, nature‑based activities, seasonal planting, creative tasks, and plenty of tea‑and‑chat moments that help people feel grounded and connected.
🌼 Opening Late September / Early October 2026
We’re on track to open in late September or early October 2026, ready to welcome new attendees, carers, volunteers and community partners.
💛 Thank You to Our Supporters
This project is only possible thanks to the generosity of our funders:
- Morrison’s Supermarket – funding the new activity shed
- High Sheriff Awards – supporting our expansion
- Hertfordshire Community Foundation – backing our community work
- Nicholas Buxton, last year’s High Sheriff – whose personal £10,000 donation gave the project a vital boost
Their support is helping us create a second Red Shed that will offer long‑lasting wellbeing benefits for families across Welwyn Garden City.
🌻 Get Involved
As we build, we’re also beginning to recruit:
- Volunteers to help run sessions, support attendees and maintain the garden
- New Red Shed attendees — people living with dementia and their carers who would benefit from calm, supportive, nature‑based activities
If you’d like to express interest, volunteer, or follow our progress, visit our website or get in touch. We’d love to hear from you. Drop us a message at: info@theredshedgarden.org.uk
🌞 Growing Something Good
The Red Shed has always been about more than gardening. It’s about belonging, confidence, joy and the small moments that make a big difference. Welwyn Garden City is the next chapter — and we can’t wait to grow it together.
