The Volunteer Award is intended to celebrate volunteers and recognise the value of volunteering; showcase volunteers and the contribution they make; and encourage volunteering through a variety of roles.
Criteria
Anybody can nominate someone they know for the Award, but candidates must be active volunteers with either a County Gardens Trust or the Gardens Trust. They can be nominated as an individual or as a team.
Candidates will need to be volunteers involved in at least one of the following, in the past 2 years:
- Making a difference to the day to day running of a County Gardens Trust or the national Gardens Trust
- The research and conservation aspects of a County Gardens Trust or the national Gardens Trust
- Work for a County Gardens Trust or the Gardens Trust to reach new audiences to encourage interest and/or involvement in garden history
Having been launched for the GT’s 10th anniversary in 2025, both the Long-Service and Newcomer awards will be awarded again when there are appropriate nominees. Please simply make your nomination to the overall award scheme and the judging panel will assess which award is most appropriate.
We celebrate the recipients of the award at our annual Volunteer Celebration held each year at a different location around the country.
To make a nomination
Nominations are closed for 2026 and will re-open early next year.
You can apply through an online form on this page (when available) or alternatively download a GT Volunteer Award Application Form and return this to catherine.ford@thegardenstrust.org
You may wish to email Catherine sooner to check that your nominee hasn’t already been put forward by someone else.
Volunteer Award Winners and Nominees
2026
The winner will be announced at our Volunteer Celebration taking place in Norwich on Friday 12th June.
- Paul Baker – who volunteers for Warwickshire Gardens Trust, was nominated for his work as Chairman of Warwickshire Gardens Trust, including leading their support of the campaign to retain the Gardens Trust’s statutory consultee role, encouaring new people to join the Committee, compiling the members’ newsletters, and arranging the online talks.
- Charlotte Casella – who volunteers for the national GT, was nominated for her work editing both the Gardens Trust Magazine and the emailed GT News.
- Sally Ingram – for her work Chairing Sussex Gardens Trust’s Communications group, editing the email newsletter, managing social media, overseeing the website, and instigating an oral history project.
- Anne Kaile – for her work as a driving force on Somerset Gardens Trust’s research and recording committee
- Irene Lucas and Sarah Luton – for being instrumental helping populate and launch the national Gardens Trust’s Garden History Hub.
- Gwen Miles – for her contribution to the running and strategic planning of Buckinghamshire Gardens Trust as a council member and trustee whilst also managing the web site, editing the BGT Newsletter and a monthly ebulletin, organising membership events and helping organize the Bucks Gardeners Network.
- Gillian Morgan and Hazel Morris – for sustained and complementary contributions to London Parks & Gardens’ Planning and Conservation Working Group, including organising casework and contributing to policy responses
- Joan Pateman – for her inspiring and supportive work on London Parks & Gardens’ Research Group, particularly as group secretary
- Mary ter Braak – for her work above and beyond Membership Secretary to Somerset Gardens Trust, including website, events and information sharing
- Jill Walmsley – for launching Hampshire Gardens Trust’s Garden Plans for Schools programme and leading the Edible Gardens initiative
2025
- Sandra Pullen – WINNER – For her contribution to the Gardens Trust’s Education & Training Committee and being a major player in the events programme over the last two years.
Nominees
- Colin Wing – Exceptional Contribution Award – For being London Parks & Gardens’ in-house tech guru, including for fundraising and membership systems, as well as also organising and running cycle tours.
- Zhixin Zheng – Newcomer Award – For support to the Gardens Trust Events team, from helping find new audiences, to building relationships with similar organisations. to generating promotional social media content.
- Marion Blair – Long Service Award – For being instrumental in London Parks & Gardens’ new feature called “Behind the Scenes”, as well as supporting its annual fundraiser, London Open Gardens.
- Clare Greener – Long Service Award – For her contributions to Devon Gardens Trust in research and recording, conservation, and publications, as well as supporting events, garden visits and working parties.
- Diana Matthews – Long Service Award – For her work as honorary secretary of the Cumbria Gardens Trust, including in that role organising events and other activities.
- Jim Stockwell – Long Service Award – For supporting and encouraging the work of other volunteers of Sussex Gardens Trust and being the coordinator of the Conservation Group particularly during the past two years.
- India Cole – Commendation – For her work organising the Gardens Trust’s New Research Symposium and on the Events team.
- Annette Fettes – Commendation – For steering Kent Gardens Trust through the process of creating a new website.
2024
- Clare de Carle – WINNER – For her work in reaching out and engaging new audiences with garden history, including the setting up of the Buckinghamshire Gardeners’ Network, delivering activities like a Heritage Open Day and sessions for the Chiltern Young Archaeologists’ Club and leading the BGT’s audience development strategy over the next five years.
- Barbara Moth – WINNER – For her outstanding contribution to all of Cheshire Gardens Trust’s activities, management, research and leadership over a period of more than 20 years. Barbara has made a huge difference, owing to her involvement in a breadth of activities including organising conferences and study days, leading the Caldwell Nurseries Project, writing articles and delivering outreach events which have engaged new audiences.
Nominees
- Dr Sarah Rutherford – For her outstanding contribution to conservation cases in Buckinghamshire, and on other important sites around the country like Hampton Court, Syon and Stowe.
- Joanne Mirzoeff – For her outstanding contribution to conservation cases in Buckinghamshire.
- Suffolk’s Unforgettable Garden Story Volunteers – For their research which resulted in 6 new registered parks and gardens, 4 new listings and enriched information on the National Heritage List for England. Their research has attracted local, national and international media attention, raising the profile of Suffolk’s remarkable designed landscape heritage and that of Suffolk Gardens Trust. The volunteer researchers include: Elizabeth Adams, Sue Andrews, Stephen Beaumont, Gillian Childs, Julie Cooke, Margaret King, Elizabeth Manero, Edward Martin, Kate Reddington, Sheila Roberts, Linda Robinson, Ian Saunders, Patience Shone, Susan Steward, Clarissa Thomas, Jenny Morris, Lindsay Panton, Melanie Taylor and Sue Whiteley.
- Zhixin Zheng – For her work as a new volunteer helping to promote our events to new audiences through exploring new contacts and establishing relationships with similar organisations, despite limited resources.
- Sally Miller – For her outstanding contribution to Hampshire GT including being a Trustee that leads their Historic Gardens Research Group, being directly involved in conservation and development work, editing the Trust’s annual magazine and giving talks.
2023
- Roger Last – WINNER – for his work with Norfolk Gardens Trust to produce their book Enticing Paths. Roger was nominated because not only did he work ‘incredibly hard to produce this well-received 480-page hardback book containing over 500 colour images, but he did it during the most challenging of times, under Covid lockdown conditions when archives were shut and travelling to take photos of people’s maps, pictures or documents was very difficult.’
Nominees
- Jeryl Andrew – for their work with Devon Gardens Trust, initiating and filling the role of Head of Governance, happily injecting ‘good practice’ into the organization, described by her nominator as ‘a ‘dry’ but essential role which few people would voluntarily adopt!’
- Elizabeth Bowskill – for her work for Lincolnshire Gardens Trust, over many years running its events, acting as Secretary, and being ‘equally outstanding’ in networking with many local community and volunteer groups concerned with conservation, heritage, schools and wildlife.
- Gail Falkingham – for her work with for Yorkshire Gardens Trust on social media, events, and archives and garden history. Gail was nominated by YGT for ‘her effectiveness in realising her outreach vision, leading to step-changes in YGT’s outreach, and creating the foundations for further development.’
- Susie Thorne and Sally Twiss – for their work with Somerset Gardens Trust to improve its website and social media presence, delivered ‘in the most positive, pleasant and determined way’.
- The Gardens Trust’s online events team – for its work to deliver an extensive online programme during the Covid-19 pandemic and continued today. ‘The result has been the successful delivery of what has become a much-valued GT service, and in the process has attracted large audiences including many new to the GT.’
