# National Garden Scheme to donate over £1 million this year despite gardens closure

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/03/27/national-garden-scheme-to-donate-over-1m-this-year-despite-gardens-closure/
- Published: 2020-03-27T08:20:37+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**The National Garden Scheme is committing in excess of £1 million to its beneficiary
charities and to 44 community garden projects throughout England and Wales this 
year, despite the coronavirus outbreak meaning the closure of gardens.**

 

 

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This includes new [Community Gardens Award](https://ngs.org.uk/who-we-are/community-gardens-award/)
funding of £97,210, which is being distributed to 44 community gardening projects
across England and Wales in memory of garden writer Elspeth Thompson. £165,000 of
the total donation will also go to granting bursaries to support gardeners in a 
variety of training or apprentice schemes, or who find themselves in hard times.

 

 

 

Its long-term charity beneficiaries include Hospice UK and Marie Curie.

 

 

 

George Plumptre, CEO of the [National Garden Scheme](http://www.ngs.org.uk) said:

 

 

 

> “The current climate of uncertainty and the loss for the foreseeable future of
> garden openings which provide 90% of our income, compounded by a poor start to
> the season with storms affecting many of the stunning snowdrop gardens, means 
> that the National Garden Scheme has been unable to distribute as much as it would
> have liked to our beneficiary charities.
> “However, we are still donating in excess of £1 million to the majority of our
> nursing and health beneficiaries this spring and are delighted to be able to announce
> the tripling of funds to community gardens that make such a positive impact on
> the health and wellbeing of so many.”

 

 

 

Over £58 million in total has been donated during the Scheme’s 93-year history.

 

 

 

Over 800 new and returning gardens were due to open under the National Garden Scheme
during 2020. One of the most distinguished gardens that planned to return, after
40 years, was [Rousham in Oxfordshire ](https://ngs.org.uk/view-garden/37751/)where
the ornamental 18^(th)-century landscape overlooking the River Cherwell was designed
by William Kent. There are also walled gardens with herbaceous borders a pigeon 
house and kitchen garden, and the park is home to a herd of Old English Longhorn
cattle. With the gardens closed at least until June, the National Garden Scheme 
is encouraging people to donate via its site if possible.

 

 

 

This year, the Year of the Tree, also sees the National Garden Scheme partnering
with the [Woodland Trust](https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/), to promote a wider
understanding and appreciation of trees within both a wild and domestic garden setting.
It will be showing the importance of trees, sharing the gardens in its portfolio
that hold national collections or are home to historic or special trees and looking
at their role in carbon capture and climate resilience.

 * **[Brevio launches to help charities find funds faster](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/05/11/brevio-launches-help-charities-find-funds-faster/)**(
   11 May 2020)
 * **[Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society launches £1 million Covid fund and other funding news](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/07/09/shipwrecked-mariners-society-1m-covid-fund-other-funding-news/)**(
   9 July 2020)
 * **[£300,000 funding available for road safety projects](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/08/12/300000-funding-available-for-road-safety-projects/)**(
   12 August 2020)

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