We are celebrating three London in Bloom Awards for our Gardens, and a win for Horticultural Apprentice Isaac Guard, who was judged Apprentice of the Year.
At the recent ceremony at Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Town Hall, our 16.5-acre historic Gardens were awarded:
- Gold and Category Winner in the Environmental Challenge award, which recognises gardens that are responding to the challenges, and reducing the impacts, of climate change. Key to the Horniman’s work in this area were the continued increase in
meadow grasslands and wildflower planting, the reimaging of the pollinator garden, and the relocation and expansion of the prehistoric garden. - Gold in the Heritage Parks & Gardens category, meaning the Horniman scored highly in all categories, including for its considered and sustainable management of the historic site.
- Silver in the Biodiversity award, which recognises and celebrates those who have creatively and innovatively increased biodiversity by creating habitats – an area of focus the Horniman is continuing to develop, working alongside a visiting ecological gardening expert.
- Apprentice Horticulturist of the Year Isaac Guard’s commitment, attention to detail and love of nature and diversity shone through in his nomination, with testimonials from his course leader and Horniman supervisor also noting his contribution to public engagement, and championing the Horniman through the iNaturalist network.
Isaac’s apprenticeship at the Horniman is part-funded by D. Finnis Scott Foundation and run with Capel Manor College’s Regent’s Park campus.
Working at a South East London staple and somewhere I have spent my life enjoying is a dream come true! Such a valuable resource for Londoners and all and it’s a privilege to get to help continue its legacy!
Sunken Garden at the Horniman
It means so much to the whole team that the Gardens have done so well in this year’s London in Bloom Awards, as our entry follows some major redevelopment works in the garden through our National Lottery funded Nature + Love project. It is great to have many of our initiatives and projects recognized and shared with a wider audience, and also a special moment to let us acknowledge the hard work and value that our volunteers bring to our work here. We hope these awards will help attract more visitors to the Horniman. We’re especially pleased to see our Apprentice Isaac’s hard work and love of horticulture and ecology seen and celebrated in this way. He brings a lot to the team and has enjoyed and made the most of this opportunity.