Husband and wife transform garden into 'little Eden' (From Sutton Guardian)

Husband and wife transform Sutton garden into 'little Eden' for children with special needs

7:00am Sunday 9th December 2012 in News By Sophia Sleigh, Reporter

A husband and wife have transformed their garden into a haven for children with special needs.

Five-year-old Tate was born with Down’s Syndrome, a hole in his heart and talipes which means he cannot walk.

His parents Glenn and Dawn Harvey, from Sutton, decided to transform their garden with a tree house, Astroturf, slides and a swimming pool to create what they call "Little Eden".

On Monday afternoons Mrs Harvey, 44, welcomes dozens of families into her home free of charge.

Little Eden operates as a support network for the mums as well as providing activities such as African drumming for the children.

Mrs Harvey even cooks them all dinner - everything from spaghetti Bolognese to chicken nuggets.

With the help of friends and family this hidden gem has grown over the years but the couple intend to add to it in the future.

Mrs Harvey, 44, said: "The past five years have been an incredible journey with Tate in our lives. We’ve been to hell but come out the other side.

"Glenn and I have become less selfish, strong and as a couple, incredibly close and unbreakable.

"It is so important to have this network. The mums are able to relax. It’s such a lovely network of lovely people.

"It is so nice we have had this journey together. We have learnt so much from each other."

The couple are planning a number of upgrades to improve facilities.

Little Eden is open from 2pm to 6pm every Monday and is hoping to achieve charitable status in the new year. For more information visit http://littleeden.me.uk/ or call 0208 644 4567.