Our Impact in 2024: A record £3,501,227 donation is helping to change lives

Press Release: Tuesday 3 December 2024

A record £3,501,227 donated by the National Garden Scheme to some of the UK’s best-loved nursing and health charities
Record donations show the power of gardens and garden visits for good causes

2024 was another landmark year for the National Garden Scheme with the charity donating a record £3,501,227 from the 2024 garden opening season. The impact of these donations to our major nursing and health beneficiaries means that thousands of people who live with health conditions such as cancer or Parkinson’s, who have poor mental health, or who struggle financially as unpaid carers, have been supported by our funding of the nurses, health professionals and case workers who support them. Our funding has also provided support to those in the Gardens and Health sector along with Community Gardens and also supported gardeners through traineeships.

The lion’s share, £2,550,000 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 current 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 across the UK. The impact of this long-term commitment was celebrated in 2024 by our milestone of 40 years of continuous funding for Macmillan Cancer Support, during which time we have given them more than £19.6 million.

Commenting, National Garden Scheme Chairman Rupert Tyler said: “As the nation’s health and social care system continues to battle with the long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and with deeply embedded systemic challenges, the contribution of the charities that we support has been increasingly vital. Their reach and impact, in cancer and end of life care, in community health and nursing and in particular areas such as people living with Parkinson’s, is immense and we are proud to be a major long-term supporter of them all.”

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 at these gardens. Additional income streams include donations, sponsorship and advertising, fundraising events and commercial partnerships.

Commenting on these activities, Chief Executive George Plumptre said: “In 2024, the owners of nearly 3,500 gardens opened, once again giving us the most fabulous commitment and raising another record amount. Together with the support they are given by our county team members this is a remarkable example of the power of volunteers who are so vital for charities like ours. In addition to their fundraising operation, throughout the year our gardens gave immense enjoyment and relaxation to the thousands of people who visited.

“Many of our garden owners have a strong affinity with one or more of our beneficiaries, for whom we know that the long-term continuity of our funding year on year is a key quality in the support we give them. It is very unusual and something of which we are enormously proud.”

The National Garden Scheme is looking ahead to 2025 with optimism and the opening of over 3,300 gardens across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.

Commenting, Chairman Rupert Tyler added: “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 the 2024 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 2024
For details of how donations are spent please refer to the Impact Report 2024 – an online version can be found here: National Garden Scheme Impact Report 2024

Main beneficiaries:

The Queen’s Nursing Institute £500,000
Marie Curie £450,000
Macmillan Cancer Support £450,000
Hospice UK £450,000
Carers Trust £350,000
Parkinson’s UK £350,000

Gardens and Health:

Maggie’s £122,227
Horatio’s Garden £90,000
Army Benevolent Fund £80,000
John King Brain Tumour Foundation £50,000
Cancer Help Preston £50,000
Country Trust £25,000

Support for gardeners:

English Heritage £125,000
Perennial £100,000
National Botanic Garden of Wales £26,000
Bankside Open Spaces Trust £21,000
Professional Gardeners’ Trust £20,000
The Garden Museum £10,000

Support for community gardens:
Our Community Garden Grants funded 89 new projects with a total of £232,000 in 2024. The funding supports community allotments and gardens, rehabilitation and regeneration projects, as well as gardens designed to support mental health and wellbeing, and training and development for young people. With applications launched for 2025 grants in October 2024, and a hugely generous donation of £1.5 million from the Julia Rausing Trust to continue this programme over the next five years, we’re looking forward to supporting a fabulous new tranche of community gardens in the year ahead. For more on Community Garden Grants click here

Read the full Impact Report here: National Garden Scheme Impact Report 2024

Donations in previous years:

2019 £3,106,208
2020 £2,884,710
2021 £3,030,272
2022 £3,110,000
2023 £3,403,960
2024 £3,501,227