Our Work in 2018

Protecting our Striving for an Inspiring the seed heritage organic future next generation elcome to our review of activities in 3. We will contribute to ongoing research - W2018, the charity’s Diamond Jubilee year. principally through our members’ experiments This review contains a brief summary of our - enhancing these, increasing participation and work supporting more people to embrace sharing results more widely. organic growing. 4. We must influence policy at national level, 2018 saw the Board of Trustees focus on the making sure the definition of organic is not potential sale of Ryton Gardens, to put the charity dumbed down, and campaigning for what we in the best position for a long and fruitful future, know to be right. whilst also preparing the charity’s five year 5. We will manage the charity as efficiently and Strategic Plan to take us forward to 2023. effectively as possible - the better managed we In our Strategic Plan we have outlined the are, the more we all will be able to achieve. organisation’s five priorities to continue to Whilst the Board of Trustees has been planning achieve our mission; that of promoting and for the future, our staff have, as ever, continued advancing the use of organic growing with its to work hard for your charity. Supported by our benefits to plants, people and communities. invaluable volunteers, we have been inspiring A full copy of our strategic plan can be found and teaching people about our passion - on our website (gardenorganic.org.uk/charity- organic and sustainable growing - in settings information) or by request to 024 7630 8210, as diverse as care homes, schools and waste however they are summarised below: disposal facilities. 1. We will extend access to organic horticultural I remain immensely proud of the work of the knowledge across the whole country, as widely charity that we, as members, support, and hope as possible. We know there is increasing interest you are too. Together we are improving our in greater sustainability and we need to be precious planet, one garden at a time. preaching to the unconverted, to help and support people moving towards an organic approach to gardening. 2. We will protect our unique plant genetic resources and biodiversity. Our Heritage Seed Library is a wonderful example of how to Margaret Eyre achieve this in practice. Chair of Trustees

Garden Organic - Annual Review 2018 support us Designed & Published by Century One Publishing Ltd

Garden Organic members play a vital role in supporting our charity’s work. You Inside... could get even more involved in helping 02 Welcome us to spread the word about the many 04 Protecting our seed heritage benefits of organic gardening by:

05 Furthering organic research l joining our Heritage Seed Library 06 Striving for an organic future l making a donation 07 Lifelong learning l volunteering 08 Growing healthy communities To find out more – or for any other enquiry 09 Inspiring the next generation T: 024 7630 3517 10 Improving wellbeing E: [email protected] 11 By the numbers W: gardenorganic.org.uk 12 Thank you

2 - Annual Review 2018 A selection of images from our Diamond Jubilee celebration in May

Annual Review 2018 - 3 Protecting our seed heritage

Pea Jackson Grey Back

ur Heritage Seed Library, (Manchester) and Belmond a poor year for runner beans Ofounded in the 1970s, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and broad beans, so we will continues to remain as vibrant (Oxfordshire). These partnerships be experimenting with more and relevant as it has ever been highlight the important external isolation cages in 2019 through a number of different conservation work we do to a to protect against extreme initiatives. wider audience and support our temperatures. ambition to see HSL varieties Despite these challenges, we Managing the collection growing in display gardens produced the equivalent of over Following background research across the UK. 24,000 packets of seed! and growing trials we added 9 new varieties to the collection Members’ seed Organic seed networks in 2018 which will now be distribution In 2018 we supported 37 seed conserved and seed stores 155 varieties were shared swaps around the UK, including ‘bulked up’ for future distribution. with HSL members, including Seedy Sunday in Brighton, 10 varieties were removed 11 new and 50 organically helping to raise the profile of our from the collection as they are certified. In total, 3,179 orders work, attract new members and now widely available, or were were processed, equating to support these fantastic initiatives. discovered to be synonymous approximately 19,000 seed As well as sharing seed and with a commercial variety. This packets - all hand packed and information, we also delivered means that we can redirect dispatched by the team and talks to local gardening groups our resources to assessing new volunteers. French bean proved and events throughout the year. donations to the collection, of the most popular vegetable, with which we have around 40 seed on average, one packet included Oak Tree Project samples waiting to be trialled. in every order! We delivered our first two acorn sowing workshops in Heritage across the UK Seed Guardians and collaboration with Warwickshire In 2018 we continued working Variety Champions Wildlife Trust. This Heritage with partners and display Our volunteer Seed Guardians Lottery Funded project with gardens to showcase our and Variety Champions remain Princethorpe Woodlands Living heritage varieties, with particular invaluable in their role as Landcape scheme supports the emphasis on local and historical seed savers for the library. In ancient oak trees at Coombe varieties. In 2018 these included 2018 - a difficult year for many Country Park by collecting Highgrove (Gloucestershire), growers - our Seed Guardians and sowing acorns from these Dumfries House (East Ayrshire), returned seed equivalent to ancient woodlands. This project St Fagans National Museum of 24,600 packets. Overheating will continue over the next History (Cardiff), Ordsall Hall in our polytunnels resulted in two years.

4 - Annual Review 2018 Furthering organic research

lthough we have been bitter attracted similar numbers (TRUE Legumes project). In 2018 A researching organic of slugs, so choice of beer isn’t CAWR conducted a second year growing methods for 60 years, important to these gastropods! trial of several HSL broad bean there is always more to discover. varieties alongside commercial Review of 60 years of varieties, as part of a project Members’ Experiments Members’ Experiments comparing nutritional content In 2018 we undertook three The long-term review of Garden and attractiveness to pollinators. members’ experiments; a survey Organic’s Members’ Experiments CAWR also conducted a first of comfrey use, a trial of growing continued throughout the year. year trial of HSL climbing edible lupins, and a test to The main focus was to capture French bean varieties with identify the most effective drink the views, thoughts and ideas of dry bean culinary uses for for trapping slugs. A total of 450 participants, staff and volunteers assessment against comparable members took part from across who have contributed over the commercial varieties. This trial the country. years. These interviews will be remains ongoing. The survey of comfrey use added to the written report due highlighted that people have to be made available in 2019. Growing Health been growing comfrey for a long This project, in partnership period of time; 64% had grown Heritage variety trials with Sustain, has compiled a it for more than 10 years, and The Heritage Seed Library series of case studies to show 37% for more than 30 years. 44% continued to collaborate with how community food growing originally obtained their comfrey Coventry University’s Centre groups have engaged with from Garden Organic or the for Agroecology, Water and public health commissioners and Organic Gardening Catalogue. Resilience (CAWR) and is how community food growing The top two uses of comfrey participating in an EU funded delivers health outcomes, with were to improve soil fertility project to increase sustainable the hope that growing can be (97%) and to attract bees (74%). legume cultivation and integrated into routine health We have frequently revisited consumption across Europe care services. the theme of ‘home grown protein’ and in 2018 focussed on growing sweet lupins. It was a tough growing season, contributing to low yields and, we think, unusually tough beans. This wasn’t a popular crop amongst growers, but it may be worth trying them again when it’s not so dry, and perhaps eating at a younger stage. We remain concerned about their susceptibility to slugs though. The weather also impacted the slug trapping experiment with the very dry season resulting in far fewer slugs. Participants compared water, bitter, lager and other drinks of their choice in Lupins growing at Ryton a ‘beer trap’. Overall, lager and

Annual Review 2018 - 5 Striving for an organic future

hroughout the year we were through DEFRA, to Parliament of looking at one chemical in T involved in a number of through All Party Parliamentary isolation, rather than exploring activities and campaigns to make Groups, and to local and regional the long-term effects of the the organic voice heard. agencies. We were pleased to cocktail of chemicals used in report that DEFRA Ministers products such as Roundup. Representing confirmed that UK food standards Unfortunately we know that our members will not be lowered in a post- manufacturers have already and supporters Brexit environment. We will developed alternative and Unsurprisingly, 2018 was continue to follow this closely. equally destructive pesticides, dominated by Brexit. We We have further campaigned but each time an issue such as campaigned both individually on a range of issues of specific this appears in the news we and as part of wider organic interest to members, including know that more people turn networks, such as the English around the continuation of the towards the organic way. Organic Forum, in an attempt EU ban on neonicotinoids post- to secure appropriate standards Brexit. We have raised awareness Protecting UK and frameworks for organic about issues surrounding genetic resources practice after the UK leaves the heritage and heirloom seeds and We have continued to promote EU. There has been pressure the impact of artificial herbicides the conservation and use of plant on the UK Government and and pesticides. We also lent our genetic resources in the UK, and devolved administrations in support to aligned organisations, are a member of the UK Plant Scotland, Wales and Northern including PAN UK. Genetic Resources Group and Ireland, to amend these current We also contributed to a the Plant Heritage Conservation regulations, on the one hand number of consultations and Board to lower standards to allow responded to white papers, The Heritage Seed Library also for equivalence in any future including the London Food has a Community Seed Bank bilateral trade deals, and on the Strategy and the 25 Year advisory role in the EU-funded other hand to enhance standards Environment Action Plan. H2020 DYNAversity project, to create a world-leading food developing seed networks for environment, with an emphasis Glyphosate in the news managing in situ and ex situ on national health and wellbeing. We welcomed news that the European diversity. We attended This has involved the charity licence for glyphosate would the first project conference and representing members and be restricted, whilst continuing Brussels and our involvement supporters to Government to raise awareness of the risks will continue until 2020.

6 - Annual Review 2018 Lifelong learning

any come to gardening in the popular Grow Your to the advice provided online Mlater in life and learn Own magazine. and were pleased to see this outside of a formal classroom accessed by new visitors each setting. We continue to be Ryton Organic Gardens month. This was supported by there when people need In 2018, we continued to our email newsletter providing support, to help them on welcome visitors to our organic a taster of our seasonal organic their organic journey. demonstration gardens, growing advice, and information including school groups, on the current topics relevant to Booklets and horticultural clubs, members organic growers. publications and the general public. The During 2018 our social media We added to our suite of advice GO Discover educational trail channels grew in audience, booklets with the First Steps remained popular, introducing allowing us to reach, in a cost in Organic Growing - a short young visitors to organic effective way, new growers and booklet for beginner growers or growing and the creatures that those not previously aware of those new to organic methods. can be found within the garden. the work of Garden Organic. Following our Principles of We ran a programme of We also added to the suite of Organic Gardening, the First Steps courses at Ryton, delivering 18 practical organic growing videos booklet provides the practical practical courses covering a available online, providing advice to accompany the theory. wide range of organic gardening quick and simple advice to the During the year this booklet was topics from composting and digitally-minded growers. warmly received by members, planning your organic garden, to volunteers and general growers, making a wormery and growing Members’ advice who gave good feedback on how exotic veg. and factsheets useful it was. Our Advice team responded We provided advice and articles Online advice to just over 700 organic for a number of gardening and In 2018 nearly half a million growing queries. Popular topics consumer magazines, including a users visited our website. We included weeds, fruit problems, monthly organic growing article continued to review and add composting, and growing challenges caused by heat and drought. We have reviewed and made revisions to 23 factsheets and continue to review the topics covered.

National events Despite an ever-expanding range of online channels, nothing beats a face to face conversation. We attended a large number of national events throughout the year, from Harrogate Spring Flower Show to the GO Organic Festival in Battersea, giving talks to packed-out audiences at each. Our local project volunteers also attended over 150 local and national events to talk to Chris Collins talking with Jim people about the benefits of Buttress at Gardeners World Live growing organically.

Annual Review 2018 - 7 Growing healthy communities

ur community growing hard to reach or vulnerable our successful Master Composter O and composting projects people who may have mental Programme in the county. continue to thrive, providing or physical health problems, Our Master Gardener grassroots support at local be socially isolated, elderly, Programmes in Leicestershire level via our 520 dedicated unemployed, ex-offenders, and Southwark, and Growing volunteers. children, etc. Buddies in Maidstone have continued to grow and make a Growing Communities Master Composters big impact in their communities. In 2018, we launched a new and Master Gardeners In 2018 our outreach project three year project, Growing In 2018 we continued delivery staff and volunteers delivered Communities, working in of our two flagship Master horticultural training sessions partnership with Family Composter Programmes in for over 1,000 beneficiaries, Action in Breckland and West Norfolk and Cumbria, coupled represented Garden Organic Norfolk. The project is funded with six smaller contracts at over 150 public events and by Reaching Communities in Cambridgeshire, Coventry, communicated our messages (Big Lottery Fund) and brings Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, and encouraged people to together volunteers and Shropshire and Suffolk. grow more organically and participants from the local As well as commissioned sustainably through over 8,000 community to undertake projects we have also tracked conversations. therapeutic gardening delivered multiple training At the end of the year activities and learn new courses for a wide range of we were delighted that organic horticultural and life audiences including a series of member donations through a skills. It encourages improved commissioned workshops in fundraising appeal has meant physical and mental health and Cambridge and Essex. that our London Food Poverty: promotes healthy eating and We began the delivery Southwark project could be social interaction. The project of the Let’s Waste Less extended for a further 12 is delivered at an established volunteer programme in months. This Master Gardener community allotment site and Worcestershire – a wider holistic and Food Buddies project is through outreach work across waste management project having a life-changing impact the rural area, engaging with commissioned as a step up from on residents of the Borough by improving resilience to food security in the community and teaching residents how to grow and cook organic food. Thank you to all who supported this work.

Orchard Champions Delivered in partnership with the Malvern Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Trust in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire trained volunteers were busy raising Norfolk Master Composters talk awareness of the importance of composting with Chris Collins traditional orchards and how to maintain them.

8 - Annual Review 2018 Inspiring the next generation

ach generation we E work with seems more environmentally-minded than the last. Supporting schools and education professionals to be able to inspire these budding organic growers is a sound investment in the future.

Move More Eat Well Move More Eat Well is a partnership project between Garden Organic, Sport Birmingham, eco-Birmingham, the Health for Education Service and Sustrans. This Pupils enjoying their school garden project provides free events, supported by Project Learning Garden activities and opportunities to support residents of growing, cooking and curriculum Supplying schools the Birmingham wards of kits to schools, developed and with ‘Get Growing’ kits Longbridge, Cofton, Northfield shared a number of curriculum Garden Organic continues to be and Rubery feel healthier. resources, provided twilight included in Learning Through During 2018 we delivered teaching sessions and visited Landscapes’ ‘Nature Grants’ healthy living assemblies, pupil/ several schools within the area. programme. We supply ‘Get parent workshops, growing and Growing’ kits which include cooking training for teachers, Food Growing term-time growing information school professionals and Schools: London on the principles of organic parents, horticultural visits, and Additional funding secured growing, a selection of seeds, allotment support/clearance. in 2016 meant we were able useful growing cards and more! to continue our flagship Food The Local Schools Nature Project Learning Garden Growing Schools: London project Grants Scheme allows infant, Project Learning Garden (PLG) throughout 2018. In partnership primary and secondary schools in continued in 2018, bringing with six other organisations, England, Scotland & Wales together Garden Organic and the project has proven highly to apply for £500 worth of USA-based Captain Planet. PLG effective in supporting schools outdoor resources, and a two is a garden ‘start-up’ programme to embed food growing in the hour training session thanks set up to encourage schools to heart of their culture. to the players of the People’s use a garden as an extension of During the year the team Postcode Lottery. the indoor classroom. Following attended numerous events, the success of this programme including school assemblies and Training for education in the US, Captain Planet networking events, and delivered school professionals approached us to support the multiple training and activity Garden Organic continues to run roll out in the UK. sessions. The project a number of training courses Following a successful launch, has now reached an end and aimed at teachers and other 32 schools have now become we are working on making our adults working with schools. involved, with initial training resources and learning from it In 2018 we delivered these as days delivered in the London more widely available, as well as part of our role as a national Boroughs of Merton, Bexley and seeking opportunities to deliver partner in the Food for Life Southwark. We delivered PLG similar projects elsewhere. project (FFL).

Annual Review 2018 - 9 Improving wellbeing

ending to green space meetings and visits with Tbrings both instant and organisations using nature for long-lasting benefits to physical therapeutic purposes, providing and mental health, but many the opportunity to learn from people are not fortunate peers across a number of enough to have access to this European countries. type of activity without the support of organisations like Prisons and Garden Organic. tackling re-offenders We continue to support a Directly providing team of prisoners at HMP Rye organic social Hill enrolled on the prison’s and therapeutic Drug and Alcohol Recovery horticulture (STH) Programme. The garden is an In 2018 we continued to deliver integral part of their recovery our organic STH projects for and all the prisoners working adults with learning disabilities, on the programme are learning young carers and disadvantaged how to garden organically young people, as part of our as they build up their own Growth, Children in Need, portfolio of achievement. Thyme to Be and Growing Enterprise projects. Across these Gardening in four pioneering initiatives we care settings delivered a total of 155 sessions We launched a new programme around the Midlands. in a residential care home, working with Friends of Acorn Knowledge transfer Lodge, Attend and Avery. The and sharing project supports residents to We continued our involvement experience meaningful and in the European knowledge- purposeful gardening activity sharing programme, Towards and maximise their outdoor Mutual Understanding with environment and resources. We Nature. This project facilitates delivered 15 sessions designed to engage residents and ‘train’ volunteers to establish a sustainable gardening project. We also worked with a local hospice delivering a 12 week block of sessions for patients. The benefits of organic growing and getting outdoors within these types of care settings are immediate and clear to see. We would love to expand this work in the future.

Left to right: Flowers on display at HMP Rye Hill; Gardening at Acorn Lodge

10 - Annual Review 2018 Improving wellbeing Financial Review By the numbers

e finished 2018 with Unrestricted Reserves Nonetheless they seek the Wan unrestricted deficit Reserves are needed to achievement and maintenance of £299,226 (2017 – deficit bridge the gap between the of this target as a key objective of £61,237) before actuarial spending and receiving of and set their annual budgets movements on the defined resources and to enable the accordingly. The increasing benefit pension scheme. charity to cover unplanned running costs of the Ryton site This deficit includes a one- emergency expenditure. The has been a significant factor in off charge for additional Trustees annually review the the Trustees’ decision to sell the depreciation charged charity’s reserves policy and site, in order to strengthen the against the charity’s land agree that a general reserve charity’s future financial position. and buildings as part of the of £500,000 is required, which ongoing review of the future is approximately equal to Restricted Reserves of the Ryton site. three months unrestricted, Restricted income remains The charity has a variety of non-trading expenditure. central to the work of Garden funding sources, which offers At 31 December 2018, Organic. At the end of the year some resilience against the charity had unrestricted we held restricted reserves of economic instability. In funds of £194,262 (2017 £180,996 (2017 - £308,372), particular, our membership - £493,103). After making which are not available for give us unrestricted income allowances for commitments general use, but are put aside which we are able to and working capital for specific projects. During the spend across our charitable requirements, our unrestricted year, we continued to run our activities, whilst also funding reserves were £26,581 (2017 restricted activities to further some of the charity’s support £211,782). The Trustees are the charity’s work in a variety costs. However, fundraising aware that current reserve of projects whilst developing within the charitable sector levels are not in line with the opportunities for new funding. is becoming increasingly policy and accept that due The award of these restricted difficult and this has to the increasing uncertainty funds will enable Garden contributed to a significant in charity finances there Organic to do more work than fall in our income since will inevitably be peaks and we would otherwise be able last year. troughs in annual budgets. to do.

Income 2017 Expenditure 2017 2018 2018 Income for restricted projects Membership Other income and trading Fundraising, publicity and trading Charitable Activities Education Gift Aid & training Recovery Heritage Donations Seed Library and gifts

Research Legacies

Ryton Membership Gardens 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

£ / ’000s £ / ’000s

Annual Review 2018 - 11 Thank you

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have made 2018 such a fruitful year for Garden Organic, including our staff, members, donors, funders, project participants, ambassadors and many others. We would also like to extend a special thank you to all the fantastic volunteers who help us in a wide variety of ways. Without this support none of our achievements through the year would have been possible.

Organisations recently funding our work l Amey l Leicestershire County Council l Anglian Water l Naturally Good Food l The Anson Charitable Trust l Norfolk County Council l Big Lottery Fund l Northamptonshire County Council l Birmingham City Council l Oxfordshire County Council l Cambridge City Council l The Phone Co-op l Captain Planet Foundation l Riverford Organic l CH Robinson l Salvia Foundation l Children in Need l Seed swap events around the UK l Coventry University l Seeds of Change l Cumbria County Council l Shropshire County Council l Defra l Smiths Concrete l Delfland Nurseries Ltd l Soil Association l Diversifood l Suffolk County Council l DM & J Wood Trust l Suttons Consumer Products Ltd l Eco Sustainable Solutions l Three Counties Traditional Orchard Project l Ecotricity l Triodos Bank l EU – Erasmus + l The Tudor Trust l EU H2020 l Twitten Charitable Trust l The Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund l Veolia Environmental Services l Fisherbeck Charitable Trust l Viridian Nutrition l G4S l Vitamix l Global Diversity Foundation l Vinceremos l Global Generation l W.W. & J.A. McCurdie of Bondon Farm l Gloucestershire County Council l Warwickshire County Council l Golding Homes l Warwickshire Wildlife Trust l Good News Trust l Weleda l The Heritage Lottery Fund l Worcestershire County Council l The Hirschmann Foundation l John Hughes Haulage Thank you to the many organisations which l Learning Through Landscapes have supported Garden Organic in other ways.

Garden Organic is the working name of the Henry Doubleday Research Association. Registered charity number 298104 (England and Wales) and SC046767 (Scotland).