May 21st 2021
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is celebrating the launch of Project Giving Back, a new support scheme that offers charities across the UK the chance to create a garden at the world-renowned RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Project Giving Back (which is independent of the RHS) and advised by a number of UK designers and horticultural industry experts, is inviting UK charities that would benefit from this unrivalled opportunity, to apply for a fully-funded garden at the world’s most famous flower show.
The project has been established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to give charities and other organisations the opportunity to benefit from having a platform at the world-famous flower show (which had (pre-pandemic) attracted 168,000 visitors per year).
This unique venture has been made possible by two RHS Life Members (who wish to remain private) who have pledged to fund a collection of gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Shows in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Project Giving Back will fund eight Show Gardens in 2022 as well as a new category 'All About Plants'. In total, 14 gardens will be funded each year, including another new category from 2023.
Project Giving Back has announced the first three Show Garden applications it will be supporting at RHS Chelsea 2022; the charities RNLI and Mind and the third will be a garden inspired by BBC series Blue Peter, which has encouraged children to enjoy gardening and the natural world for over 60 years.
Sue
Biggs CBE, RHS Director General, said:
"We
have seen many charities over the years create inspirational gardens at RHS
Chelsea, sharing incredibly important messages, and after a very difficult year
financially and emotionally for so many, the project hopes to give many more
the amazing opportunity to create their own. So if your charity thinks it could
benefit from this project or if you are a designer with a charity close to your
heart and are keen to get involved, Project Giving Back is looking forward to
hearing from you. I can’t wait to see what gardens will be created as part of
this fantastic project over the next three years."
Mark Fane, one of the inaugural advisory panel members of Project Giving Back and CEO of Crocus, added:
"I feel honoured to have been asked to help establish this ground-breaking support scheme, working alongside experienced industry colleagues to bring Project Giving Back to life. We relish the challenge of supporting a diverse range of charities, designers, landscapers and nurseries over the next three years to help tell the stories of many amazing organisations."
Watch Sue Biggs and Mark Fane announce the details of Project Giving Back online as part of the RHS Virtual Chelsea Flower Show here.
UK charities can apply now for the 'All About Plants' category for the 2022 show and express interest for all three different garden categories for 2023 and 2024 on the Project Giving Back website at www.givingback.org.uk
Source: RHS Press Release