Thank you so much for doing something incredible and signing up to fundraise for the Oxford Half Marathon 2026 for Horatio's Garden.

Approximately 4,700 people have a spinal injury every year. It can happen to anyone at any time. The results are life-changing and devastating. Life may never be the same again for the person injured or for their family and friends around them. People will typically spend between three to nine months in a specialist spinal injury centre often far from home. They are 56% more likely to experience mental health issues with a fourfold risk of suicide.

We know how essential it is to have an incredible garden on offer right outside the hospital ward as a critical part of the rehabilitation pathway. Places for reflection and adjustment, privacy and solace, joy and companionship to all who need it. We lead gardening sessions to grow and cultivate plants, arts workshops to discover new skills and a programme of live music and events. Every aspect of Horatio's Garden support is evidence-based and we know that being in the garden can improve mental and physical health, distraction from pain, vitamin D levels, sleep and long-term activity.

We have now opened gardens in eight of the 11 NHS centres in the UK. Our mission is to open gardens in all 11 NHS centres to ensure that no-one has to go through a life-changing spinal injury and spend months in hospital without being able to use a Horatio's Garden.