Hackney’s herb masters look to boost diversity in horticulture after winning RHS funding

A team of Hackney herb experts is set to tackle the lack of diversity in the gardening industry after being named among the first beneficiaries of the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) new Flourish Fund.

Hackney Herbal, which runs a public herb garden and offers training and workshops, is one of 12 organisations that will share £150,000 set aside by the UK’s leading horticulture charity to help attract budding gardeners.

Its successful application will see it create a training programme for five Black people or people of colour, each of whom will receive a bursary to remove the financial barrier many face in accessing educational opportunities.

Trainees are promised a “transformational experience” involving specialist mentoring, guest speakers and peer support.

Hackney Herbal founder Nat Mady told the Citizen: “We are really excited to receive the funding as running these programmes is a core part of our long-term strategy to help increase diversity within our sector.”

The organisation’s head of plants Camila Barboza, who will lead on the delivery of the new programme thanks to the RHS cash, added: “We had only one position for the traineeship we ran this year and it was heartbreaking having to pick only one. We can’t wait to start developing next year’s programme!”

Hackney Herbal received 80 applications for this year’s paid traineeship, which was also offered specifically to Black people and people of colour.

In its application to the RHS for more money to help expand the programme, the team wrote: “The traineeship will be for Black People and People of Colour (BPOC) because we recognise that the growing and gardening/horticultural industry is lacking diversity and is not representative of the population of the UK.

“More specifically for us as a Hackney-based organisation, the horticultural industry is not representative of the communities we work with in our locality.”

It continued: “We recognise that there are structural, institutional and economic barriers to reaching and gaining the education and training needed to work in this sector.

“We seek to acknowledge, disrupt and renew the systems in place that prevent such opportunities being open to all, by providing economic support in an industry where unpaid time, volunteering and self-funded education is the norm. 

“While recognising that this is a small step, we believe that prioritising BPOC for this traineeship is a step in the direction of working towards a more equitable and representative industry, that genuinely provides opportunities for everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, class, gender, background, age, education and experience.”

Chris Moncrieff, RHS’s head of horticultural relations, said: “The Flourish Fund will provide much-needed financial support to enable groups already doing fantastic work in their communities to grow their offering.

“More than ever, people are looking at gardening as a career option and this scheme is intended to ensure everyone can benefit from the opportunity.”

The fund was launched this year to coincide with the opening of RHS Hilltop, the charity’s new scientific centre at RHS Garden Wisley, which is part of a commitment to helping ensure horticulture is more diverse and inclusive.

For a taste of Hackney Herbal, check out Nat Mady’s video explaining how to sow lettuce seeds, created last year to help people stuck at home during the first Covid lockdown.

To find out more about Hackney Herbal and the work it does, head to hackneyherbal.com.