Our Impact in 2022 – £3.11 million donated to some of UK’s best-loved nursing and health charities
Lead image: Garden therapy at Horatio’s Garden, Salisbury
2022 saw a return to near normality for garden opening and visiting for the first time in three years and despite the prolonged drought during the summer that led many gardens to close, the National Garden Scheme has announced donations totalling £3.11 million to its beneficiary charities.
The lion’s share, £2,450,000.00 goes to some of the UK’s best-loved nursing and health charities*, many of which have continued to provide vital support to the NHS and communities across the UK in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and who are now struggling to provide services in the new cost of living crisis. The long-term nature of funding from the National Garden Scheme allows these charities to continue the provision of critical community nursing services, end-of-life care and respite for families and carers.
Commenting, National Garden Scheme Chairman Rupert Tyler said: “Despite the worst of the pandemic having passed our beneficiaries continue to support those in often dire need and who have now been confronted with the challenge of the new cost of living crisis. This continues to place unbearable pressure on many aspects of their work, and we are delighted to be able to continue our support in such a meaningful way.”
The National Garden Scheme relies primarily on the income generated by admission at its garden gates and through the sale of plants, teas and cake. Additional income streams include fundraising events such as online talks, garden parties, and commercial partnerships.
Commenting on these activities, Chief Executive George Plumptre said: “The enormous contribution by our garden owners and volunteers was added to by other fundraising activities in 2022. A special fundraising event at the iconic Temperate House at Kew raised over £48,000, and in July we hosted our third Great British Garden Party, giving the opportunity for anyone – whether they open their garden or not – to have an event with friends or family and raise funds for the National Garden Scheme, generating £30,000.”
2022 also saw two key funding milestones; over £10 million donated to Marie Curie since our partnership began in 1996 and 10 years of continued partnership and over £1.7 million donated to Parkinson’s UK. Parkinson’s UK now estimate that around 7,000 patients currently benefit from support from the nurse posts that have been funded by the National Garden Scheme.
“We know that the long-term continuity of our funding from year to year is very unusual and our beneficiaries have emphasised that this is a key quality in the support we are able to give to them. It is something of which we are enormously proud,” added George Plumptre.
The National Garden Scheme is looking ahead to 2023 with optimism and the opening of over 3,500 gardens across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.
Commenting, Chairman Rupert Tyler said: “We will do our utmost to increase the support we are able to give our beneficiary charities and we are sure that anyone who reads our 2022 Impact Report that accompanies this donation news, will see just how impactful a visit to one of our gardens can be.”
National Garden Scheme donations in 2022
For details of how donations are spent please refer to the Impact Report 2022 – an online version can be found here: https://bit.ly/NGSImpactReport22
| * Nursing and Health beneficiaries: | |
| Marie Curie | £450,000 |
| Macmillan Cancer Support | £450,000 |
| Hospice UK | £450,000 |
| The Queen’s Nursing Institute | £400,000 |
| Carers Trust | £350,000 |
| Parkinson’s UK | £350,000 |
| Total | £2,450,000 |
Gardens and Health beneficiaries: |
|
| Maggie’s | £100,000 |
| Horatio’s Garden | £90,000 |
| ABF The Soldiers’ Charity Greenfingers Charity |
£80,000 £50,000 |
| Total | £320,000 |
Support for gardeners: |
|
| English Heritage** Perennial |
£125,000 £100,000 |
| WFGA | £65,000 |
| National Botanic Garden of Wales | £20,000 |
| Professional Gardeners’ Trust | £20,000 |
| Garden Museum | £10,000 |
| Total | £340,000 |
Total |
£3,110,000 |
** For the first time in our history the National Garden Scheme is supporting English Heritage’s outstanding Historic and Botanic Garden Training Programme with a commitment over three years.
Support for community gardens:
Our Community Garden Grants, that were suspended because of Covid restrictions in 2021, resumed in 2022. Seventy-six grants totalling £187,000 (funded by 2021 income) were awarded across 33 counties. Applications for 2023 funding are now open online at: https://ngs.org.uk/who-we-are/community-garden-grants/
Donations in previous years:
2019 – £3,106,208
2020 – £2,884,710
2021 – £3,030,272
2022 – £3,110,000
Read the full Impact Report here https://bit.ly/NGSImpactReport22
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