As the implementation of our strategic plan gathers pace members can expect a few changes in the months ahead. Some projects such as the Orchards in Schools will be put on hold pending another funding round as well as the requisite seasonal change. Others such as the Winter Speaker Series, Interactive Horticulture Workshops and Special Skills Workshops will resume with a raft of new topics and/or presenters. New initiatives such as the 2015 School Gardens Show and the Autumn Show will focus on involving younger folk in horticultural activities and hopefully stimulating a lifelong interest. We’ll be adding another page to the newsletter in order to feature our members and their backgrounds and interests.
As many will appreciate we are always under pressure to maximise our rental income from the hire of the Horticultural Hall so when officials representing Cricket World Cup 2015 wanted to hire the entire complex, apart from our own office space, for the whole month of February 2015 it was an offer we couldn’t refuse. The downside was the exclusion of some regular users including ourselves over this period, however paralleling this development was our emerging “closer horticultural relations” with the Botanic Gardens management. Indeed we’re already negotiating the use of the new Visitor Centre for the National Chrysanthemum Show in 2016! It seemed a no brainer therefore to secure the use of the centre for our two All About Gardening sessions in February, and also in March due to the need for the schools to access our own hall to set up for the Schools Garden Show during 6-8 March next year.
Tony Kunowski, CHS Manager