Helping young people's horticultural skills blossom

Helping young people's horticultural skills blossom

  • The Mediterranean beds at Cambridge University Botanic Garden
    The Mediterranean beds at Cambridge University Botanic Garden

Chris Adams says his mother always felt near “her God” while gardening. It was this memory, and a love of Cambridge University Botanic Garden, that propelled Chris to make a £150,000 gift that saw a room to facilitate school visits there named after his parents.

Chris said: “I came upon the gardens whilst visiting my daughter at Selwyn, and years after I had first done so as a student myself. I thought then how incredibly beautiful they were, and was delighted to be able to name a room, which will facilitate school visits, after my parents.” He hopes the Geoffrey and Eileen Adams Garden Room will teach children important skills. “The garden’s outreach initiative, which teaches children to garden, is a fantastic one – during the war we grew all our vegetables but nowadays children do not automatically acquire the same skills,” he added.

A further grant from Perennial, the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Society, is funding one additional trainee a year to pursue the certificate in practical horticulture, by working with experienced staff and a collection of 8000 species, at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. As the only UK charity dedicated to supporting current, former, and future horticulturists, Perennial helps people facing tough times and offers a range of training initiatives to young people looking to choose a career in horticulture.

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The Cambridge University Botanic Garden holds a plant collection of over 8000 plant species from all over the world to facilitate teaching and research.

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Autumn colour at the Botanic Garden
The Cambridge University Botanic Garden holds a plant collection of over 8000 plant species from all over the world to facilitate teaching and research. The Garden provides resources including plant material, horticultural expertise and facilities to research workers and lecturers.