On the star-studded grounds of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, a modest garden named "Bring Me Sunshine" became an unlikely star — and in the process, put a small Lancashire seaside town firmly on the map. The Eden Project Morecambe's debut garden walked away with a prestigious Silver-Gilt medal and the RHS Environmental Innovation Award, but the real victory was watching faces light up as visitors from across the country discovered what's coming to Morecambe.
The achievement matters because it signals something larger: a struggling town is being reimagined, and young people from that community helped shape its future. Created to mark the Eden Project's 25th anniversary year, the "Bring Me Sunshine" Garden offers the first glimpse of Eden Project Morecambe, a landmark £100 million attraction set to open in 2028. Designed by Harry Holding and Alex Michaelis and co-created with young adults from Morecambe, the garden combines immersive coastal planting with pioneering sustainable materials — mussel shell boundary panels and terraces crafted using cockle shell by-products — showing that environmental innovation and community pride can grow from the same soil.
The garden's centerpiece is a solar-powered outdoor classroom designed to inspire pathways into green careers, horticulture, food growing, and creative skills development. Nearly everything in the garden is edible: samphire, fennel, herbs, and more, a philosophy that caught the attention of TV chef Jamie Oliver, who visited and couldn't contain his enthusiasm. "It's stunning in every possible way," he said. "When you're working with young people, it's just the best thing in the world. Nature is a beautiful thing, but when you get kids designing and creating spaces, they're so incredibly creative and unrestrained."
If celebrity visits were a measure of impact, the garden's week at Chelsea was a resounding success. Dame Judi Dench, Dame Joanna Lumley, Myleene Klass, Bruno Tonioli, Fiona Bruce, and Anthea Turner all passed through. Queen Camilla made a royal visit and spoke warmly with Ruby, a 23-year-old from Morecambe, about the importance of young people developing a passion for horticulture — and Ruby later reflected that the overwhelming foot traffic might be exactly what Morecambe needs. "There were so many people coming onto the garden it was a bit overwhelming but hopefully that means that Eden Project Morecambe will be really popular and will bring lots of enjoyment to people," she said.
Harry Holding, the garden's designer, emphasized what the project represents. "This garden has always been about people, possibility and hope," he said. "The response continues to be unbelievable. People have genuinely connected with the story of Morecambe and the optimism behind the project."
After Chelsea, the garden will relocate permanently to Morecambe's central Promenade site, becoming the first phase of a free public community garden 30 times its current size, with work due to start next month. The garden is named with a nod to Eric Morecambe's signature song — a fitting tribute to a town reclaiming its sense of possibility. Andy Jasper, CEO of Eden Project, said it plainly: "People have completely embraced the story behind the garden — the creativity, resilience and potential of Morecambe and its young people."