Bankside Open Spaces Trust has teamed up with The Worshipful Company of Gardeners, a group of leading figures from the horticultural industry, as well as Walworth Garden and the Royal Parks Guild, to deliver the Future Gardeners programme that will run for at least five years.

The programme has been initiated by BOST and the Worshipful Company in order to meet a shortage of new people coming into the horticulture field, particularly young people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is a training and work experience scheme for young people from across London, open to men and women aged between 18 and 25. It is unique in that it does not require entrants to have minimum educational qualifications.

The Worshipful Company of Gardeners, has already committed half of the funding for the 5 year project and we now need to raise £15,000 annually in order to give young people in London a stepping stone to a profession that could last a lifetime.