Gardening should be part of government
The role gardening can play in helping create healthier societies and tackle social problems needs to filter down from central government, a new report has said. The 56-page document from the Conservative Environment Network, called ‘Thinking Differently About Our Environment’, has the backing of Prime Minister Theresa May.
“To get the full benefits that the power of plants can provide our communities with, especially in urban areas, requires an interlinked approach,” said lead author Rebecca Pow, MP for Taunton Deane and previously a horticultural and environmental journalist and broadcaster. “Now’s the time to sow seeds and spread those roots for the greater good.”
Ms Pow added garden tourism alone generates £7.8 billion annually for the national coffers and wants all government departments – from the Home Office, Health, Communities and Local Government and agri-body DEFRA – to work together to ‘harness horticulture’. “I am acutely aware of the rich benefits society can gain from horticulture, touching as it does on urban regeneration, growing food, contributing to the economy, influencing our well-being and surrounding us with beauty,” she added, acknowledging the work of the RHS, Wildlife Trusts and other local community projects.