Informed by her longstanding work on the Early Years, The Duchess of Cambridge believes that spending time outdoors plays a pivotal role in children’s future health and happiness, building foundations that last throughout childhood and over a lifetime.
Through her Back to Nature gardens, which were displayed earlier this year at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, Her Royal Highness has aimed to highlight how spending time outdoors can enrich a child’s early development by providing an environment that encourages active exploration and the opportunity to form and strengthen positive relationships.
Today, The Duchess opened the Back to Nature play garden at RHS Wisley and attended a Back to Nature festival to celebrate the value of communities to our wellbeing. The event marks the culmination of The Duchess’s long standing RHS garden project,
The Back to Nature play garden has been inspired by The Duchess’s designs and includes elements such as the hollow log from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden, and the wildflower meadow and rolling hill showcased at Hampton Court. New features include two connected tree houses and slides which encourage families and friends to have fun together in a natural environment. The garden will be a permanent installation at RHS Garden Wisley.
Her Royal Highness has spent much of the last eight years meeting charities and organisations who work every day to make our families and communities stronger. The Duchess had taken the opportunity to invite many of them to the ‘Back to Nature’ Festival to celebrate their contribution to society and to further highlight the importance of those involved in the Early Years sector coming together to support a fundamental change in how society approaches childhood development.
In a short speech given by The Duchess at the Festival, Her Royal Highness said:
“The Back to Nature Festival is a fitting finale to a project I have been thrilled to be part of.”
