Bethany Vann
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There are not enough parks in Great Britain, says Fields in Trust
Fields in Trust’s annual Green Space Index on Great Britain’s parks and green spaces has found that nearly 10% of people in the UK do not have either of these within local walking distance. The study conducted by the charity shows that 6.1 million people living in the UK are without access to a green space within a 10-minute walk, which it says highlights a disparity in green space to household ratio. Studies have suggested that access to green spaces holds a great many number of wellbeing benefits, highlighting their importance in communities. Research conducted by the charity in 2022…
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Wales considers banning artificial lawns
The Welsh Government is considering a country-wide ban on artificial grass following “worrying reports” of the toxicity levels emitted. Climate change minister Julie James confirms she “wants to explore proactively” the possibility of a ban across Wales. Plaid Cymru MS Sioned Williams raised a concern regarding the use of artificial grass by the Swansea Council as part of the city’s regeneration. Swansea confirmed it “would not be used by the council in the public realm, even on a temporary basis going forward,” leading Williams to ask whether the Welsh government would commit in banning artificial grass in government schemes, excluding…
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HTA urges Defra to reconsider peat timeline due to plant shortage fears
The horticultural industry warns UK gardeners of a potential plant shortage by 2027, if the ban on peat is brought forward with no sustainable transition employed. The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) says Defra’s plans to bring forward the ban on peat in commercial horticulture by four years could have a devastating impact on the industry. Moving the ban on peat in commercial plant, tree, fruit, and vegetable production from 2030 to 2026 reduces the number of seasons commercial growers have to complete extensive trialling in their crop production techniques by over half. A new HTA members survey highlights a projected…
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New Environmental Horticulture Group launching
The Environmental Horticulture Group (EHG) will be launching today at the House of Lords, Westminster. The UK’s gardening, landscaping, arboriculture and environmental horticulture sectors will be coming together to relaunch the industry group, formerly known as the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group, with the intention to champion sectoral affairs within government. The parliamentary reception will be hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Gardening & Horticulture Group, a cross-party group of MPs and Peers who support the environmental horticulture industry. The group says it will be applying substantial pressure to the government to do more in the way of support for the sector,…
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Tivoli Group acquires Greenfingers Landscape
Tivoli Group Ltd has acquired Greenfingers Landscape Ltd as part of the company’s growth targets for this year and beyond. This marks the grounds maintenance provider’s second acquisition in two years following the purchase of Sodexo Horticultural Services in February of 2021. Based in the North West of England, Greenfingers was established in 1996 and has around 120 staff, bringing an annual turnover of over £4m to Tivoli’s existing £65m. It provides services for a variety of private and public landowners, including multiple housing associations. The acquisition will increase the scale of Tivoli’s service portfolio, grounds maintenance, landscaping, arboriculture, winter…
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Author Jenny Bailey on bringing green roofs to children
In celebration of World Green Roof Day (6 June), The Green Roof Organisation (GRO) has partnered with children’s author and nature enthusiast Jenny Bailey to release ‘Journey to the Green Roof’, an interactive children’s book, to inspire nature engagement from an early age. With continued urban expansion, green roofs provide a great many environmental and ecological benefits, offering a sustainable solution to the decline of biodiversity in an otherwise commonly surplus space. Bailey, who co-founded storybook series Tales from Mother Earth, has penned ‘Journey to the Green Roof’ which follows the story of Freya the Bee and Sarah the Ladybird,…
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Mitie awarded £4m Yorkshire Water contract
Facilities management giant Mitie has been awarded a new three-year £4m contract to deliver landscaping services for Yorkshire Water. Mitie has been granted a new contract with Yorkshire Water to deliver on-site grounds maintenance services for three years. The £4m contract include adverse weather services, tree and weed management, and sustainable drainage systems management. Yorkshire Water is a major provider of essential water and wastewater services, with over five million households and 140,000 businesses across Yorkshire and the Humber. The new contract will see Mitie undertake grounds and landscape maintenance of approximately 2,000 operational, recreational, and corporate sites across Yorkshire…
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The Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild backed by NHS
The Wildlife Trusts and the Greener NHS programme at NHS England are inviting people to engage with nature and wildlife for the betterment of their wellbeing throughout June by participating in the “UK’s largest nature challenge”, 30 Days Wild. The month-long initiative encourages people to connect with nature and local wildlife every day for the month of June in an “easy and accessible way.” Evidence shows that prolonged engagement with nature has great benefits for both a person’s physical and mental wellbeing but also for nature conservation, says The Wildlife Trusts. As part of the NHS’s 75th birthday celebrations, the…
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Just 6% of landscape companies launched by women last year
Last year saw nearly a 20% increase in landscaping companies being launched, but only 6% were founded by women. This is according to Companies House data analysed by Instant Offices. A total of 2,610 companies were registered under ‘landscape service activities’ in 2022, with just 162 of these being launched by women. In the previous year, 190 were women led out of 2,190 companies registered. Despite a 19.18% increase of registration between 2021 and 2022, the percentage of women led companies decreased by 2%. The ‘Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship’ highlights that up to £250bn of new value could…
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RHS launches new app for gardeners
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has launched a new app that it says will bring 200 years of gardening experience and horticultural expertise to users’ fingertips. The RHS Grow App is designed for both beginners and professionals and includes insights from RHS botanists and scientists. The app provides plant recognition software, a personalised plant collection for users to log plants of interest or existing plants on which to receive advice, and plant care reminders. Martin Parnell, RHS director of members, marketing & digital, says: “Growing plants helps to support biodiversity and makes people happier and healthier. 26 million people come…
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Chelsea medal winner talks the importance of food education and healthy eating in schools
Food education charity, School Food Matters is celebrating its 15th year anniversary with an edible show garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, designed by Harry Holding Studios, to promote the importance of having access to nature and outdoor learning for children. Over those 15 years, the charity has benefited hundreds of schools and 200,000 children across the UK with fully funded food education programmes, backing the message that every child in every school should have access to a garden whereby they can experience the advantages both nature and healthy eating has on one’s mental and physical health. School Food…
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Going for gold at Chelsea
With a full slate of idyllic biodiverse show gardens on display, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023 is well underway, and the medals have finally been revealed. See here a full list of the Gold Medal winners lining Main Avenue: Horatio’s Garden Designed for the UK spinal rehabilitation charity, Horatio’s Garden puts the priority of all those with different mobility needs at its heart, with every element of the garden influenced by the experiences of patients with spinal injuries. The garden was designed by Harris Bugg Studio- the owners Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg have both previously won Gold medals…
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The first looks at RHS Chelsea 2023
This year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show will soon be opening its door to the public, showcasing the pinnacle of horticultural excellence. The show will feature the latest in sustainable landscape solutions, from peat-free plantation to repurposed agricultural waste, with every garden on display designed to be relocated after the show closes. Here are the first looks at some of what 2023 Chelsea has to offer. Horatio’s Garden Designed by Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg Sponsored by Horatio’s Garden and Project Giving Back A place of sanctuary and hope, designed to be an immersive restorative haven for spinal injury patients, enabling…
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Kate Richards appointed new Chair of Landscape Institute Wales
Kate Richards, an associate landscape architect at Land Studio will officially take up her post with the organisation this month. Land Studio is an innovative architectural and environmental design company, delivering nature led design and engineering solutions. Based in Chester, the company specialises in historic landscape, masterplanning, public realm design and regeneration projects both in the UK and international. Last year the company brought the delivery of sustainable drainage designs and water management solutions in-house with the appointment of a civil engineering team. Assistant landscape architect, Sian Rossiter also of Land Studio will be joining Richards to run the organisations…
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Government announces £15 million in funding to help young people connect with nature
To mark outdoor classroom day (18 May), the Department for Education announces 15 million in funding will be going to facilitate outside learning, to help young people in deprived and nature-depleted areas learn outside. Schools, colleges and nurseries ranked lowest in Natural England’s measure of local access to natural space and those that are situated in areas with high levels of deprivation will be eligible for the grant. Minister for the School System, Baroness Barran says: “It’s so important that we give young people the opportunity to get outside to learn about the natural world and the importance protecting our…
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Horticultural Trades Association urges action on water management grants to increase resilience to droughts
In alignment with Water Saving Week, the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) is urging necessary action on water management grants to increase the industry’s resilience to droughts and encourage more businesses to reduce their reliance on mains water. The National Drought Group met last month to discuss the critical need to focus on water resource preservation to reduce the risk of drought measures in the future. A very dry February, followed by an exceptionally wet March and unsettled April, emphasise that businesses cannot rely solely on the weather and preserving water to prevent future drought measures needs to become the priority.…
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Samaritans set to mark 70 years and 134 million answered calls at Chelsea Flower Show
Channel 4’s Great British Bake Off star Laura Adlington will be unveiling an exclusive celebration cake with fellow Samaritans Ambassadors, Hollywood actor Jason Flemyng and author Elizabeth Day at the Samaritans’ Listening Garden. The charity’s Listening Garden is inspired by the brave people who found the courage to reach out to Samaritans and seek help. The garden, designed by Darren Hawkes visually represents the intricacy of mental health but also the serenity one can find when they reach out to talk. The garden’s planting and built elements are designed to become calmer and more open as it progresses, with sculptural…
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The HTA calls on the Scottish Government to deliver a sustainable and realistic transition to peat-free
The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) has set out a detailed response to the Scottish Government Consultation on Ending the Sale of Peat, representing the views from the breadth of its 1,400-strong membership. In a consultation that ran from February to May 12th, the Scottish Government put forward a multi-stage proposal to ban the sale of peat, beginning with the retail horticulture sector, which accounts for around two thirds of all peat used in UK horticulture. The Scottish consultation follows the 2022 UK government consultation. Scotland’s peatlands play a critical role in responding to the twin crises of the global climate…
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Kew becomes strategic science lead for new Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has signed a memorandum of understanding appointing it as strategic science lead for a new Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate. Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will establish a global network of research institutions and experts to tackle critical research gaps in how the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity can deliver climate adaptation, mitigation and improve livelihoods. GCBC will help ensure that future decision-making is driven by and grounded in scientific evidence, articulating the problem, identifying solutions, tracking progress and supporting the delivery of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) targets. As the Strategic Science Lead…
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Nurture Group expands into east of England with its largest acquisition in five years
Following a £57m round investment by All Seas Capital, Nurture Landscapes Group, the nationwide green services provider, has completed the acquisition of Norfolk-based CGM Group in a deal that will considerably strengthen Nurture Group’s presence in the East of England. The acquisition – the eighth in the past twelve months alone – is the most significant since Windlesham-headquartered Nurture purchased Royal Warrant holder Gavin Jones Ltd in 2018, and allows the group to strengthen its footprint in East Anglia, while capitalising upon the local knowledge and deep customer relationships of CGM Group’s client teams. CGM Group was founded by husband-and-wife…
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J. Parker’s partners with Rachel Platt to produce mental health inspired garden at RHS Tatton
J. Parker Dutch Bulbs (Wholesale) Ltd., one of the UK’s online market leaders in garden plants and bulbs has partnered with emerging designer Rachel Platt to present a show garden at this years Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Tatton Park Flower Show. The garden, titled ‘Chained to Tech’, will address the increasing prevalence of technology addiction amongst the younger demographic and the repercussions this can have on their mental and physical health, with reference to how horticulture can be a source of support. Rachel Platt says, “I was thrilled to be approached by J. Parker’s to design their show garden this…
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Green-tech Specifier appoints new product specification manager
Seraya has worked in the water industry for the last seven years and has a wealth of experience and a thorough understanding of the importance of both blue and green infrastructure. Green-tech Specifier is the specification team of leading landscape supplier Green-tech that focuses on technical specification and creates landscape solutions for landscape architects, contractors, and garden designers, established The Green-tech Specifier team help at the specification, estimating and drawing stages of their projects. Business development director Mark Wood comments, “I am delighted that Seraya has joined the Green-tech Specifier team. Her primary role will be raising and developing the…
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Financial pressures in Higher Education continues to impact the landscape profession
In an industry-wide assessment of skills and workforce issues in the wider landscape economy launched by the Landscape Institute (LI) in 2022, it has been highlighted that the landscape sector is worth approximately £24.6 billion to the economy in Gross Value-Added terms alone and is growing twice as fast than the wider economy average (18% compared to 10% since 2010). Over 50% of businesses in this sector have a hard-to-fill vacancy, with businesses unable to accept public beneficial contracts due to the vacancies. Despite this time of unprecedented opportunity for the landscape sector, one of the Landscape Institute’s university accredited…
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The RHS and Defra are calling on the public to protect Britain’s woodlands and wildlife
The RHS, Defra, APHA and Forest Research are calling on the public to help monitor sweet chestnut trees for known problems and diseases to help map the spread of organisms new to the UK. Sweet chestnut trees (Castanea Sativa) are one of the UK’s most archetypical street trees, also commonly found in parks and woods up and down the country, providing food and habitat to a diverse range of wildlife. The health of these trees is currently under threat from two increasingly devastating problems. The oriental chestnut wasp (OCGW) First recorded in Britain in 2015 in Kent and later in…
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RHS Chelsea Flower Show’s coveted Main Avenue will feature a 5.5m waterfall
International wildlife conservation organisation, Fauna & Flora will be showcased at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The show garden will be situated at the top of the coveted Main Avenue, with a design that reimagines a slice of the volcanic landscape of the Afromontane region of Central Africa, home to the much-loved and endangered mountain gorilla. The team’s mission is to sustainably create a garden that not only tells the story of the endangered species and their precious habitat, but also raises public awareness of the vital importance of protecting nature around the world. Fauna & Flora’s conservation journey…
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