Jane Patton awarded Volunteer of the Year

Our congratulations go to Jane Patton, of the Hereford and Worcester Gardens Trust who has won the 2020 Gilly Drummond Volunteer of the Year Award.  The Award provides an annual opportunity for County Garden Trusts (CGTs) to nominate highly-valued and active members in recognition of all they have achieved in the diverse fields of garden research, conservation and education.

Deciding the winner was difficult, but the judges selected Jane Patton as they felt she had made an exceptional difference to Hereford and Worcester Gardens Trust.  Jane was chosen for her contribution over many years, in particular for her role in helping to establish the authoritative research reputation of the CGTs and the professional quality of the Trust in its advisory work.

Nine nominations for Volunteer of the Year

Nine nominations were received this year.  All of them met the criteria and were of a high standard. The judging panel comprised Jenifer White of Historic England (Chair), Kate Harwood, and Gardens Trust Honorary Secretary Maureen Nolan.

The other people nominated for the Award this year were:
Jane Bradney, Gloucestershire Gardens and Landscape Trust
Barbara Deason, London Gardens Trust
Kathryn Herbert, Shropshire Parks & Gardens Trust
Susan Paul, Suffolk Gardens Trust
Jennie Starr, Sussex Gardens Trust
Christine Stones, Dorset Gardens Trust
Colin Wing, London Gardens Trust
Thomas Yellowley, Northumbria Gardens Trust

Gilly Drummond, OBE, Vice President of the Gardens Trust

In making the award to Jane, Gilly Drummond (above) said: “My very warmest congratulations to you. The quality and availability of authoritative research is so essential and you have done so much to provide it. The heritage world is facing difficult times, not just from the loss of income during and after the pandemic but there appears in some quarters to be a desire for change for change’s sake, which is worrying. I am sure you, your team of researchers and the Trustees of the Hereford and Worcester Gardens Trust will be very well prepared and thankful that so much meticulous research is already available and will continue to be developed.”

Jane Patton, winner of the Gilly Drummond Volunteer of the Year Award 2020

Jane Patton said: “My heartfelt thanks go to The Gardens Trust for awarding me the Gilly Drummond Volunteer of the Year Award for 2020. My grateful thanks go also to friends and colleagues at the Hereford & Worcester Gardens Trust who nominated me for the award and without whom almost everything I have achieved for historic designed landscapes would not have been possible. I have never worked alone and I am profoundly grateful for the endless time and expertise that others have contributed. So, this award is for all of you: well done.’

Anne Langton, Honorary Secretary of Hereford & Worcester Gardens Trust, who nominated Jane for the Award, said: “What excellent news. Jane is a very well-deserving winner of the Gilly Drummond Award. Her work on our publications, newsletters and as a forward thinking member of the committee is invaluable to the Hereford and Worcester Gardens Trust”.