Eight young people from Morecambe have united to honor what would have been Eric Morecambe’s 100th birthday before heading to London for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The group will represent their Lancashire hometown at the globally renowned event, open to the public from Tuesday, May 19, to Thursday, May 21. Their exhibit, titled ‘The Eden Project Bring Me Sunshine Garden,’ serves as a tribute to the legendary comedian and offers an early preview of the upcoming Eden Project Morecambe. The garden captures the optimism of a community in transformation, drawing inspiration from the coastal landscapes of Morecambe Bay.
Youth at the Heart of Design
Multi-award-winning garden designer Harry Holding and architect Alex Michaelis placed local youth at the center of the design process through hands-on workshops. Creative sessions held on the shores of the bay allowed the group to respond to the landscape through nature-based art. Their contributions, including clay work and mold-making, have been integrated into a central sculpture that forms the focal point of the garden.
A Garden with a Future
Following the show, the garden will be permanently relocated to the Morecambe seafront as part of the free 1.5-acre community gardens at Eden Project Morecambe. Installation is scheduled to begin in summer 2026, with the gardens expected to open in spring 2027. The garden features edible planting and a solar-powered outdoor classroom. Innovative materials such as crushed cockle shell and steel-laced limestone have been used to highlight the project’s sustainability goals.
Voices from the Community
Andy Jasper, Eden Project CEO, said: “It’s incredibly special to see young people from Morecambe coming together to mark Eric Morecambe’s 100th birthday, before taking something they’ve helped create to RHS Chelsea. That sense of pride, creativity and connection to place runs right through it.” He added that the garden will eventually live on as a welcoming space for the community and a preview of the full Eden Project Morecambe, which is scheduled to open in winter 2028.
Amy, one of the young co-creators, commented: “I’m so grateful to be representing Morecambe and the Eden Project at the Chelsea Flower Show. There’s nowhere else like the bay – its beauty and natural systems are so special, and it’s amazing to see it getting the attention it deserves. The Bring Me Sunshine garden means so much to me because it has community embedded into its design. It’s a space visitors can enjoy, but also somewhere local people can use as a site of education and nourishment.”
Another participant, Kim, noted that she is ‘looking forward to the town having more colour and life,’ while Ruby explained: “Being involved with this project has given me the opportunity to learn and be encouraged by all the different people I have met to keep on going with my interests in plants and nature.”
Looking Ahead
The future Eden Project Morecambe site, located on a former seafront leisure complex, will eventually house two immersive superstructures: the tropical Realm of the Sun and the atmospheric Realm of the Moon. At RHS Chelsea, the young people will share their experiences of co-designing the garden, acting as ambassadors for Morecambe and representing the many others who see Eden Project as a catalyst for regeneration in the North West.
