The Maidstone garden is one of three in Kent

Gardens of Hope, supporting communities affected by suicide

Yesterday, in partnership with Keep Talking Services, we opened the second of three Gardens of Hope at Herne Bay Football Club.
 
These special gardens in Whitstable, Herne Bay, and Maidstone have been created as safe, reflective spaces where people can remember loved ones, plant flowers, and find strength in symbols of joy and resilience.
 
The gardens support the upcoming 2025 Baton of Hope Tour – the UK’s biggest suicide prevention awareness campaign – and remind us all that from even the deepest pain, hope can grow.
 
Each garden honours lives lost and the communities they touched:

Whitstable – in memory of Chris Quenby
Herne Bay – in memory of Bella Goldsmith
Maidstone – honouring everyone affected by suicide
 
Visitors are invited to plant flowers, leave messages, and take seed packets to grow their own Gardens of Hope at home – extending remembrance into personal spaces.
 
Natalie Farley, Involvement and Engagement Manager at the trust and a Baton Bearer for the Baton of Hope Tour, said: “Every flower planted carries a story, and every story helps break the silence around suicide.”
 
Let’s continue to support one another, break the stigma, and spread hope.
 
Learn more and support the Baton of Hope Tour: www.batonofhopeuk.org/the-tour
 
Find out more about the Gardens of Hope: https://www.kmpt.nhs.uk/news-and-events/news/gardens-of-hope-open-across-kent-to-support-communities-affected-by-suicide/ 

Source and picture credit: Kent & Medway NHS Social Care Partnership