This talk and all our lectures are FREE for Friends of the Botanical Gardens to attend. Members of the public are also welcome to join us on payment of £5 at the door on the day. Live talks are held in the Education Centre in the grounds of the Botanical Gardens - easily accessed via the Thompson Road Entrance.

After having a gold medal winning garden at RHS Chelsea in 2024 the National Garden Scheme looks to build on that success as we approach the charity's centenary in 2027.

Our speaker, Vernon Sanderson will give a history of the charity from when the first gardens opened in 1927 and will describe their work and relevance today when it could be argued that society still relies heavily on the voluntary sector. He will include details of the NGS's plans to celebrate their centenary and their challenges in the years after that, and will also share tales of their garden openings over the years.

Vernon only took up gardening when he and his wife Christine bought their first house together in 2002, having not had a garden himself before then. Upon moving from Manchester to Derbyshire and into a newly built house in 2005 they started from scratch and were able to open for local charities in 2008 as part of a village "garden trail". 

They were later invited to open for the NGS and opened for the first time in 2011. Since then, more gardens in the village have joined them to boost the number of visitors, their garden has matured greatly and Christine's cakes have become legendary among those who visit regularly…….

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