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17 June 2026
Greenfingers Charity is delighted to once again
participate in BBC Gardeners’ World Live (GWL), running from 18-21st
June at the NEC, Birmingham.
The much-loved industry charity, which
funds and creates magical therapeutic gardens for children’s hospices
nationwide, has a real treat in stores for visitors to this year’s
edition of the GWL: The spectacular ‘Trains in the Garden’ show piece,
designed by driver and rail enthusiast, Andrew Christie, located at
exhibition space SC6.
This wonderful show garden, which
features a working model garden railway, was inspired by Andrew’s love
of trains and the many years he’s spent driving the mainline and running
model railways. Visitors can look forward to driving the train
themselves and being transported on a journey that was inspired by
Andrew’s local community and heritage.
Andrew’s live steam locomotive, the G
Gauge, ‘Louise’, will be on display in all her glory, whilst the garden
itself is the summit of Andrew’s colourful Fox Bank layout at his home.
The train is named after Andy’s wife, Louise Christie, who is the keen
gardener in the family and a great supporter of Andy in this project.
Speaking to BBC Gardeners’ World Live
about his design, Andrew said: “This is my story of how I fell in love
with steam engines and climbed the ladder to become an Engine Driver.
Watching steam engines tackle the Lickey Incline behind my
grandparents’ garden and playing with model railways my father built
for me.”
Visitors over the age of 16 can drive
the train for 30 minutes at a time, bookable on the day for £25. There
will also be a plant and feature sell-off from 4.00pm on the Sunday,
with the proceeds going to Greenfingers Charity.
Continuing to speak of his life as a
committed rail enthusiast, Andrew said: “I started volunteering with
the Severn Valley Railway when I was young, and hands-on jobs – plus
the thrill of driving a small steam engine at 12 – set me on the path
to becoming a driver. I’ve now spent 20 years driving on the mainline
and 15 years with steam, and I work as a driver instructor, passing on
what others taught me. My passion continues at home in Bournville,
where my family and I enjoy our garden railway and support local
community and heritage events”.
Long considered a must-attend events in
the gardening calendar, BBC Gardeners' World Live will be buzzing with
a series of beautiful show gardens, top gardening tips from celebrity
experts and blooming good shopping opportunities for plant lovers,
diehard gardening enthusiasts and budding green thumbs alike.
Greenfingers
Charity Operations Director, Neil Sewell, said: “We are delighted to be
collaborating with Andrew to bring Trains in the Garden to Gardeners’
World Live, an event that’s very special to us as it’s where our own
journey as a charity began. While Andrew’s garden tells the story of
his lifelong passion for railways and the memories that inspired it, we
know from the gardens we create in children’s hospices just how
powerful outdoor spaces can be in helping people connect with treasured
moments, interests and experiences. We’ve never seen a garden quite
like this and I think it will be a massive hit with visitors. In fact,
I’m greatly looking forward to having a go at driving one of the trains
myself!”
The event is open from 9.00am - 18.00pm
on Thursday 18th June - Saturday 18th June and 9.00am - 17.00pm on
Sunday 21st June. For more information and to buy tickets visit: https://www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com/visit/
Alongside Greenfingers Charity, Trains
in the Garden is supported by Blackcat Bridges, British Garden Centres,
Brunel Models, CJS Heritage Engineering, Cross Country Trains,
Footplate, Garden Rail Magazine, Garden Railway Specialist, Severn
Valley Railway and Thrive. “Trains In The Garden is set to be a big
display!” Andy concluded.
ENDS
About Greenfingers Charity
Greenfingers is a national charity dedicated to
supporting life-limited children and their families who spend time in
hospices around the UK. The charity is committed to creating,
beautiful, well-designed outdoor spaces for children to enjoy with
family, friends and siblings, whether through play and fun, or
therapeutic rest and relaxation. To date Greenfingers Charity has
created over 70 inspiring gardens in children’s hospices around the
country and has a further waiting list of hospices that need help.
Keep
an eye on Greenfingers Charity's social media channels (@Greenfingerscharity
on Instagram and LinkedIn, https://www.facebook.com/Greenfingerscharity/ and
@GreenfingersCha on X) throughout the challenge for updates direct from
the mountain, including photographs, videos and daily progress reports
from the team.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GREENFINGERS CHARITY from Linda
Petrons – linda@greenfingerscharity.org.uk – Tel 07908 221240 or Kimberley Hornby
George – kimberley@hornbygeorgepr.com – Tel 07851 610573. | 
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