Meet Lucille a local blacksmith who owns Little Duck Forge, which has been running for 14 years. She has been working with metal all her life, learning from her father who was also a blacksmith. She works on local commissions and is passionate about making special projects come to life. We are working with her for the Garden of Rose campaign.


I love that I am getting to work with a local charity. I had the opportunity to visit the hospices recently, and I saw the great value that families get from Naomi House & Jacksplace.

— Lucille

Lucille is making every rose by hand with locally sourced materials. She is hand forging two types of roses: a cut rose and a wild rose. The roses are galvanized, coated in zinc, which provides enhanced corrosion resistance. Each rose takes around 30 minutes to make and even longer to paint.

Watch the video to see how each rose is crafted by hand.

All roses will be part of a display in the Winchester Cathedral’s Refectory Courtyard between 7-14th September. After the display, you can collect your roses to treasure or gift to a friend.

a rose held in hands

Garden of Roses Campaign

We've teamed up with a local blacksmith to create unique handcrafted roses to honour our tradition. Get your own rose and be part of our tradition.

Group of adults and children stood together holding roses and smiling in sunny Naomi House garden

Our Roses Tradition

Every year, on or around Midsummer's Day, Naomi House & Jacksplace gives 12 red roses as peppercorn rent to Naomi and David Cornelius-Reid. Read more about this long-standing tradition.