Little Havens, Essex’s only children’s hospice, has unveiled a breathtaking island garden inspired by Disney’s “Moana”. The space brings together elements based on details from the beloved film, in an immersive and multisensory space created with viral landscaping duo The Green Genie Brothers and The Walt Disney Company UK & Ireland. It opened ahead of the highly anticipated release of Disney’s live-action film “Moana”, which sailed into cinemas Friday 10th July.
The Pacific oasis-inspired garden combines hard landscaping with a relaxed tropical atmosphere. Features include a large bamboo entrance as you step onto the island, with handcrafted fale (houses), lush planting, natural stone features and a bespoke carving of Moana’s rooster friend Heihei crafted from a tree stump. Part of the installation features a striking pebble manta ray set into the garden floor, paying tribute to one of the film’s most beloved motifs. A dynamic water feature brings movement and life to the space, while carefully designed lighting create a fully immersive sensory experience.
Vital to the families supported by Little Havens, the garden has been built with accessibility in mind, ensuring every child — whatever their needs — can enjoy it to the fullest. Among the first to experience the garden was six-year-old Millie, who has been supported by Little Havens since 2021. On her first birthday, Millie was diagnosed with Congenital Myopathy, which is a muscle disorder affecting the muscles inside and outside of her body.
Jay Farr, Millie’s mum, said, “Millie is such a huge Disney fan, so watching her face when she saw the garden for the first time was pure joy. She loved driving round looking at the characters, and particularly liked Tamatoa and his treasure. The evening was wonderful, and you could tell that every single person involved truly cared about what they had created.
Millie was joined by Little Havens’ CEO Louise Bryan, Dan Radford, Vice President, Marketing at The Walt Disney Company, and The Green Genie Brothers to cut the ribbon and officially open the garden.
Jay continued, “Millie was made to feel like a star, and it’s a memory that we will never forget as a family. While we were there, they told Millie the meaning behind the shell and rock centrepiece — that it represents a community, a family — and she loved this. Millie, and other families like ours, go through so much, so when we sit in the garden, we will be reminded that we are not alone, and that is just beautiful. Millie’s still got a huge smile on her face.”
The garden’s design and build were led by The Green Genie Brothers — Jake and Ethan Thorne — Bristol-based luxury landscape gardening duo known for their outdoor transformations and high-end garden builds. Jake and Ethan brought their trademark precision and flair to a project unlike any other in their portfolio for a cause close to their hearts.
Jake Thorne, one half of The Green Genie Brothers, said, “We’ve built some incredible spaces over the years, but nothing has meant more to us than this. Knowing that every stone, every light and every sound in this garden is going to bring something special for families to enjoy, that’s a legacy we’re incredibly proud of.”
“Working with Disney to bring Moana’s world to life for the children at Little Havens has been a huge privilege. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without the suppliers and contractors who have helped along the way — we’ve had people travel from all over the country to be part of this and enable us to pull this project off in such a short time. It’s been a huge honour.”
Louise Bryan, Chief Executive Officer at Little Havens, explains the importance of this project. “Every child who comes through our doors just wants to be like other children their age, even when their condition can make that really hard. They deserve moments of pure wonder, and this garden delivers exactly that. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of The Walt Disney Company UK & Ireland, and the incredible artistry of The Green Genie Brothers, we now have a new space that our children and their families can enjoy for years to come — a place where imagination, fun and care come together. We are enormously grateful to everyone who made this possible.”
“So often our families miss out on things, whether that’s from having to spend time in hospital or facing accessibility challenges that make everyday experiences harder to reach. To have something so special and unique, designed just for them, is incredible.”
This is the latest project as part of Disney’s long-standing collaboration with Together for Short Lives, the national charity supporting children’s hospices across the UK. Since 2017, The Walt Disney Company UK & Ireland has worked with the charity to bring joy to seriously ill children and create moments that matter for the whole family. This is part of Disney’s mission to deliver over one million magical moments of comfort and togetherness for children across EMEA by 2030.
Dan Radford, Vice President, Marketing, The Walt Disney Company added: “Creating moments of joy for children and families facing serious illness is at the heart of Disney’s social impact work. This garden is a wonderful reminder of how stories like Moana can be brought to life and provide a sense of escape, comfort, and togetherness for families when it’s needed most.”
The “Moana”-inspired garden is now open and available for children and families at Little Havens Hospice to enjoy during their visits and stays.
Discover how this special space was created and watch the magic unfold from start to finish –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0_9FzYWtGY
About Havens Hospices
Havens Hospices provides free, expert, compassionate care and support for people of all ages living with complex or incurable conditions, and their families.
Support is as varied as the needs of the people they care for. Care is delivered at home, in the community, and at their hospices — Fair Havens, supporting adults across Southend, Castle Point and Rochford, and Little Havens, supporting babies, children and young people across Essex — and can begin at diagnosis, continuing throughout life’s journey.
Services include counselling, wellbeing and therapeutic support, respite care, and end of life care, with every part of that support shaped around the people they care for and their families.
All of their care and support is provided free of charge. Havens Hospices is a local, independent charity — not part of the NHS — and the majority of the funds they need come from donations, fundraising, gifts in wills and purchases in their shops.
Making every day count with expert, compassionate hospice care — for today’s families and tomorrow’s future.
For more information, visit www.havenshospices.org.uk.
About Together for Short Lives
Together for Short Lives is the leading UK-wide charity for children living with serious illness, their families and the services that provide them with palliative care.
Together we support families to live their lives, through the ups and downs, offering practical, emotional and financial help.
Together we unite our sector by prioritising and sharing crucial research, leading guidance and standards, connecting professionals and raising vital funds for children’s hospice and palliative care services.
Together we campaign to make sure that children with serious illness and their families get the care and support they need, when and where they need it.
http://www.togetherforshortlives.org.uk
ABOUT DISNEY’S “MOANA”
In “Moana,” Disney’s live-action reimagining of the beloved Oscar®-nominated animated adventure, Moana (Catherine Lagaʻaia) answers the Ocean’s call and, for the first time, voyages beyond the reef of her island of Motunui with the infamous demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) on an unforgettable journey to restore prosperity to her people. The film is directed by Emmy® and Tony Award® winner Thomas Kail (“Hamilton”); produced by Dwayne Johnson, p.g.a., Beau Flynn, p.g.a., Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, p.g.a. and Lin-Manuel Miranda; and executive produced by Scott Sheldon, Charles Newirth, Kail and Auliʻi Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the animated films “Moana” and “Moana 2.” “Moana” features the new song “Along The Way,” written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and performed by Cravalho, Laga‘aia and Johnson; original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foaʻi and Mark Mancina; and an original score composed by Mancina. Audiences can experience the brilliant cinematic sights, sounds and songs of “Moana” in theatres now.
Leave a Reply