Celebration of pub garden that won gold at Chelsea Flower Show

By James Wallin

- Last updated on GMT

New Flying Horse manager Steve Collins (left) President Bobby Neame (centre) with Chelsea Pensioners
New Flying Horse manager Steve Collins (left) President Bobby Neame (centre) with Chelsea Pensioners
A group of Chelsea Pensioners were guests of honour at a Shepherd Neame pub to celebrate its award-winning garden.

The New Flying Horse in Wye, Kent, is home to a recreation of the ‘A Soldier’s Dream in Blighty’ design, which won gold at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2005.

The visitors, who helped Julian Doyle design the Second World War-themed garden, were invited to see it again as this year’s show got under way.

Pub manager Steve Collins said: “We were delighted to welcome the Chelsea Pensioners to the New Flying Horse. We are very proud their garden is living on at our pub, and hope that our customers will continue to enjoy it, and take inspiration from it, for many generations to come.”

Retired Royal Green Jackets Sergeant Joe Shortall was among the group of visitors.The 66-year-old said: “I have only been a Chelsea Pensioner for a year, so I hadn’t seen the garden before, and I was very impressed. It is not only an attractive addition to the pub garden, but a great way of getting people to think about what life would have been like during the Second World War. We were made very welcome by Bobby Neame and the pub staff, and had a lovely time.”

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