Benefactors

Benefactors

The work of the Professional Gardeners’ Trust (PGT) would not be possible without the generous support of our benefactors, for which we are immensely grateful. If you are interested in becoming a benefactor please see our DONATE page.

Our awards are named for the donor, and each successful applicant is informed of this. We take care that each award given is appropriate to the terms or preferences of the donor. Reading through the reports on our TRAINING page, you will notice that donor names are often mentioned with gratitude.

Our principle benefactors are:

  • The National Garden Scheme  Substantial funding from the NGS Open Gardens Scheme has enabled the PGT to significantly expand its funding of students.
  • The Mollie Salisbury Bequest A generous donation from the family of the late Dowager Marchioness of Salisbury who made Hatfield House famous for its garden.
  • The Finnis Scott Foundation was established under the will of Valeris Finnis and is a long-standing donor to the PGT.  Awards are for recent career changers into horticulture.
  • The Lironi Award – Perennial is the UK’s only charity dedicated to helping everyone who works in horticulture, and their families, when times get tough. Perennial’s Lironi Training Award provides funding for qualifications or training needed to progress peoples’ careers.
  • The Worshipful Company of Gardeners are one of the Livery Companies of the City of London and they have a strong charitable purpose. They make an annually recurring grant to the PGT, available for a wide variety of training.
  • The Birkbeck Garden History Group was founded by students of Birkbeck College’s garden history course in 2002. They are keen to support study of garden history and make an award to encourage as many professional gardeners as possible to undertake a course.
  • The Professional Gardeners’ Guild – provides annual funding including an award known as the Kenwyn Pearson Award.  Kenwyn was instrumental in setting up the PGT and was its first Honorary Secretary.

We are particularly grateful to:

  • The Bodfach Trust
  • The Chalcroft Charitable Trust
  • The Coutts Charitable Trust
  • The Earl of Home
  • Mrs Elizabeth Banks
  • Ernest Cook Trust
  • Mr Giles Coode-Adams OBE DL
  • Mr Lawrence Banks CBE DL
  • The London Gardens Trust
  • The Royal Botanical and Horticultural Society of Manchester and the Northern Counties
  • The Stanley Smith (UK) Horticultural Trust
  • The Tanner Trust
  • The Wilbraham Charitable Trust

The development of the PGT’s scope has been largely due to the generous response to its ongoing work and the support of our patrons:

Stephen Anderton, Chris Beardshaw, Christopher Bailes, Matthew Biggs, Jim Buttress, John Humphris, Brian Hutchinson, Roy Lancaster, John Sales, Anne Swithinbank, Rachel de Thame and Christine Walkden.

        

Michael Doward achieved his RHS Level 2 in 2019 with the support of a £300 award, whilst Adrian Thorne received an award for £500 in 2019 towards studying for his RHS Master of Horticulture and Anne Gumuschian achieved her City and Guilds Diploma in Horticulture and Gardening with the support of a £850 award.