Since our foundation in 1997 we have worked to raise awareness of the importance of parks, gardens and the designed landscape within the county of Buckinghamshire. We have done this by means of talks during the winter given by experts in their fields and, during the summer, visits to a variety of gardens and interesting sites, the majority of which are not normally open to the public.
An important aspect of our work is to respond to planning applications and conservation proposals through our qualified planning group.
In 2013 we embarked on a long-term project to research and record as many of the county’s historic sites, including cemeteries, that were not protected under Historic England’s Register of Parks & Gardens. The link explains the project more clearly: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8tAtnRr3ysK95dExsuj7-Q
More than 100 reports (find them here) have been compiled by our volunteer recorders, some of which have aided in the prevention of unsympathetic development. A further 15 reports are to be found in the Artists’ Gardens project category. To carry out this work, the Trust requires specialist funding and a number of grants have been awarded to ensure the work continues.
To keep members and supporters informed about our work, we publish regular Newsletters and e-bulletins with articles of interest and a diary of forthcoming events.
At present we do not have an active ‘schools programme’, although this has been a feature of our work in the past – but we are looking for help in order to reinstate this. The Trust relies on volunteers and we are always actively looking for people who would like to contribute to the Trust and its work.
Buckinghamshire Gardens Trust relies on volunteers and we are always looking for more. Areas you might be interested volunteering for include: research and recording; marketing and publicity; outreach projects including practical gardening; fundraising; assisting at Trust events; publicity to raise our profile; administration, with computer skills; responding to planning applications; event photography … or other skills a charity would find invaluable.
Go to Join Us page and find out more.