Report on Horticultural Economic Impact launched

I was delighted to close and thank all the speakers at the drop in of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gardening  & Horticulture. We heard from Boyd Douglas Davis, who is the Chair of the Environmental Horticulture Group, Minister Daniel Zeichner (Food Security and Rural Affairs), the actor Jim Carter, patron of Greenfingers, a charity that creates gardens in children’s hospices and of course, Alan Titchmarsh, formerly of Gardeners World and many other Gardenning programmes, Classic FM and I said the only thing left for him to do was a jeans ad. ! 

I remembered something I picked up which was to stand with your back to a flower bed and throw the bulbs randomly over your shoulder and then plant the bulbs where they fall. I mentioned that Jim and Alan where planted deep in our hearts and came up like strong bulbs in the nation’s consciousness. They both have done amazing work for charity Jim with his cycle rides and Alan with helping people with their gardens.   

This event launched a report on ‘The Economic Impact of Environmental Horticulture and Landscaping in the UK’, by Oxford Economics. This was accompanied by ‘Mission Green Growth’, a strategic plan which Baroness Fookes, in her foreword, urged the Government to “read, learn and collaborate”.

I also invited Paul Mason from Goscote Greenacres who met up with Alan Titchmarsh. 

The APPG on Gardenning andf Horticulture will be planning new events for next year.