One of the key objectives of the Company is to support charitable activities connected with horticulture. It fulfils this objective both directly and via its support of the independent charity which it has set up called The Worshipful Company of Gardeners of London Charity. This is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission and numbered 1198790. Its microsite is here.
For further information about the Charity, please contact the Secretary.
You may apply for a grant from the charity here.
Examples of the Company’s support for many other charities are provided below.
PathWays - Routes into Horticulture and the Natural Environment
The Company has provided generous support for the Future Gardeners project, one of the most successful Gardeners Company initiatives. It is chaired by Sir David Green and is led by Paul Rochford, Mike Fitt and others. The project began in 2015 and the separate charity Future Gardeners (charity number 1191623), incorporated in 2020, has enabled a wide range of students to acquire basic horticultural skills through a variety of training schemes, demonstrations, garden visits and talks given by experts in the field, many within the Livery. Most graduates receive a qualification in horticulture such as a City and Guilds certificate and over 80% of students completing courses have furthered their careers through apprenticeships, further training or employment in the horticultural sector.
The charity Future Gardeners now operates under the name PathWays, using the strapline Routes into Horticulture and the Natural Environment, reflecting its evolution. The objective is to build on the work we have done with early-career horticulturalists by introducing the many paths that help them to advance and thrive in our profession. More information about Pathways is available here
Schools Outreach Project
The Company also provides major support for its Schools Outreach project. The key objective of the project is to open the eyes of young people to the 60+ careers available to them under the umbrella of horticulture, and to encourage them to pursue this career. The Schools Outreach project provides a means of engaging with a diverse range of school children of different ages and backgrounds, with the objective of introducing them to the myriad career opportunities in horticulture. The project achieves this primarily through presentations to schools and outings to spark the interest of school children in horticulture.
More information about the Schools Outreach project is available here.
WCOG Awards
The Company presents awards to students of horticulture at Capel Manor College, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, RHS Wisley, Writtle College and the Royal Parks.
Supporting City and Guilds apprentices
The Company has also attracted matched funding from City and Guilds to establish and support apprenticeships in horticulture enabling many individuals to improve their lives for the better.
The King's Trophy
The King’s Trophy is awarded to an individual or team in professional horticulture that has achieved excellence in sustainable horticultural practices or growing innovation, or other notable successes towards the advancement of horticulture. More details here
Prince Edward's Trophy
The Company also supports the Prince Edward's Trophy, for Excellence in Horticultural Career Development. It is intended to highlight an individual's real excellence in the field of horticulture.
Flowers in the City
The Company organises the Flowers in the City campaign. The aim of the campaign is to encourage the planting of gardens, courtyards, atria, roof gardens, window boxes, troughs, tubs and hanging baskets to beautify the City. The Lord Mayor presents awards of trophies and plaques for meritorious summer displays annually at Mansion House. The awards for winter displays are presented annually at Cutlers' Hall.
Other associations
The Company has close links with the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association, a long established charity which strives to preserve and improve gardens, neglected sites and green open spaces across London, as well as with The London Children's Flower Society and the London Gardens Society. The Association is looking for a new Grants Officer - this is a voluntary position - for more details click here
Information about the Company's work to influence and inform decisions and strategies to help the environment is available here.
The Master, whilst in office, represents the Company on a variety of charitable committees. Other members of the Company sit on those committees in their own right and also contribute their time and expertise to numerous other organisations for the furtherance of the craft and in pursuit of the Company's objectives. The Company is privileged to present a gift of produce each year to the Lord Mayor.
