Celebrating Our Students at the 2022 Summer Party

As our School of Horticulture’s year comes to a close, we proudly celebrated this year’s graduating cohorts at our Summer Party in July. Students, staff, volunteers, trustees, and community members gathered to toast to a successful year of planting and pruning - and the 117 students, from all walks of life, who received a new, industry-ready qualification with us this year.

Speeches from our staff and trustees shared updates from their teams about the 230 free workshop places we’ve delivered to the local community, 48 free social & therapeutic horticulture sessions, 2013 metres of wildlife hedging we’ve planted, and 17 new wildlife gardens we’ve grown.

The Mayor of Southwark, Councillor Sunil Chopra, also joined us in recognising the exceptional work of some of our dedicated students -

Alexandra Ghemu was awarded the Prize for Propagation for her quickly developed skills, tips, and tricks, that she’s been passing along to new students. Joe Walsh was awarded the Prize for Championing Biodiversity for a dedication to welcoming wildlife in our Garden and beyond. Charlotte Seers was awarded All-Round Gardener of the Year for her passionate commitment to expanding skills and knowledge.

Star volunteer and pillar of the Walworth Garden community, Richard Umeyor, was awarded Volunteer of the Year. This will come as no surprise to locals and frequent visitors, who will recognise Richard as a boundless source of plant knowledge, and humour.

We’re wishing all of our students the best of luck as they continue their growing journeys! Plus, a huge thank you to our dedicated volunteers and supporters who keep the garden growing.