All change at the top

Alan Titchmarsh, Mary Berry and Richard Claxton

PRESS RELEASE – Monday 12th May, 2025

One of the UK’s leading gardens and health charities, the National Garden Scheme, announces changes to two key positions – President and Chief Executive.

New President

After ten years in the role Dame Mary Berry is stepping down as the President of the National Garden Scheme. She is handing the baton to Alan Titchmarsh, one of Britain’s best-loved gardeners, writers and television presenters.

Commenting Dame Mary Berry said: “It has been a privilege to serve as President of the National Garden Scheme, and I have enjoyed every minute of it. My husband Paul and I opened our own garden in support of the charity for more than 20 years, so I was very familiar with the charity’s extraordinary offering of enjoyment for visitors and charitable impact. During the ten years of my presidency that impact has expanded massively thanks to the efforts of so many people. At the same time the charity has championed the remarkable benefits of gardens and gardening to everyone’s health and wellbeing. I am delighted to be handing the baton to my dear friend Alan who I admire with great affection, a proper hands on gardener who will bring warmth and enthusiasm to the role and I am thrilled that the Trustees have kindly asked me to stay involved as President Emeritus.”

Speaking about his appointment, Alan Titchmarsh said: “I am thrilled to have been invited to become President of the National Garden Scheme and honoured to be stepping into the elegant shoes of my dear friend, the peerless Dame Mary Berry. In my opinion there is nothing quite like the National Garden Scheme, either in the world of gardens and horticulture or beyond. Not only does it offer visitors thoroughly affordable enjoyment and education – and at the same time championing the varied gardening skills of the British nation; it also raises and distributes quite extraordinary sums of money. More than £4 million raised and £3.5 million distributed in 2024 alone. Bravo! It has been doing this for nigh on one hundred years and that I will be the charity’s President when it celebrates its centenary in 2027 is something for which I am immensely grateful and to which I will give my all.”

New Chief Executive

Taking the charity towards its centenary year, Alan will be joined this autumn by a new Chief Executive, Dr Richard Claxton.

Richard has worked as a GP for 25 years and throughout his career has used time spent in his garden to unwind and manage his own stress, and to maintain his mental and physical wellbeing. He has also been a longstanding advocate of nature-based therapies for his patients, and in 2023 launched an NHS Therapy Garden in Tonbridge.

Convinced that the health of both individuals and society is enhanced by gardening and connecting with the natural world, Richard founded the charity Gardening4health, which operates as both a network for those providing therapeutic horticulture, and as a hub for conferences, education and sharing of best practice.

As well as his GP work, Richard has written for Gardens Illustrated and Hortus Journal, worked in Garden Design – specialising in gardens for healthcare settings – and been a volunteer guide at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, and a Trustee of Greenfingers Charity, which funds and builds gardens for Children’s Hospices.

Commenting on his appointment Richard said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be appointed as the new Chief Executive of the National Garden Scheme. As a charity it’s the perfect fit for me: combining beautiful gardens and the wonderful generosity of their owners opening their private sanctuaries for us all to enjoy. As garden visitors, we join in with this generosity and together we all make a huge and valuable contribution to a range of brilliant causes across the country, with supporting nurses and improving healthcare at the forefront. The National Garden Scheme is a champion of the impact that gardens and gardening can have directly on people’s health, which is a cause very close to my heart.

“It’s a huge challenge and one I am looking forward to. I’m all too aware of the shoes I have to fill; for fifteen years George Plumptre has led the charity from strength to strength, raising its profile and the level of its donations to new heights – and maintaining its impact in spite of garden closures in the pandemic. I look forward to building on this incredible foundation. The National Garden Scheme’s work underpins the vital links between gardens, generosity, health, and community – all of which we need now more than ever. I couldn’t be prouder to contribute to this amazing charity.”

National Garden Scheme Chairman, Rupert Tyler adds: “Filling these two vital roles at the National Garden Scheme was always going to be a huge challenge, but we couldn’t be more delighted to welcome Alan Titchmarsh and Richard Claxton. The Board of Trustees looks forward to them continuing to strengthen and build on the legacy established by their predecessors and, together with our fabulous garden owners, volunteers and staff, taking the charity confidently into its next 100 years.”