After winning a gold medal at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, The King’s Trust: Seeding Success Garden officially opened its new home at Uxbridge College on 24 September.
The relocation to its permanent site, on our Uxbridge Campus, has been funded by the Omaze Education Fund and Project Giving Back to transform the garden into an outdoor learning space for young people, including those on the King’s Trust programmes we deliver here at the college.
King’s Trust Ambassador Felicity Kendal, who helped build the show garden, was joined by young people involved in its construction along with supporters of the charity and College staff and students to open the new community space at a ribbon cutting ceremony on the garden.
Seeding Success
Designed by award winning landscape designer Joe Perkins, the garden is inspired by the potential of the more than one million young people supported by The Trust across the UK since it was founded almost 50 years ago in 1976. It showcases the ability of seeds to adapt and flourish in hostile environments, drawing parallels with the resilience of young people who can overcome adversity and thrive when given the right support.
Jonathan Townsend UK Chief Executive of The King’s Trust said:
“We are delighted our garden will have a lasting legacy at Uxbridge College, providing students with an inspiring outdoor space to develop the confidence and skills that will enable them to fulfil their potential and transform their lives.”
Louise Southam, Deputy Principal, Uxbridge College said:
“As a long standing partner of The King’s Trust, we are honoured to have the garden find its forever home here at Uxbridge College. This unique space will provide our students with an inspiring environment to learn, grow, and connect with nature. The garden’s focus on resilience echoes our commitment to nurturing young people’s talent and supporting their journey towards a successful future.”
Laura Barnfield, Partnerships Director at Omaze said:
“Omaze is proud to support the relocation of The King’s Trust garden to Uxbridge College. We believe every young person deserves the chance to grow in confidence and unlock their full potential—this inspiring space will help them do just that.”
Alex Denman, Trustee of Project Giving Back, said:
“Project Giving Back was delighted to fund The King’s Trust Garden at RHS Chelsea, giving the charity a high-profile platform to highlight its work supporting young people. It is wonderful to see the garden now take root in its permanent home at Uxbridge College, where it will provide a valuable green space for young people to learn, grow and develop new skills.”
The King’s Trust ‘Team and Achieve’ programmes
As well as providing a tranquil, relaxing space on our Uxbridge Campus, the relocated garden will host elements of The King’s Trust ‘Team and Achieve’ programmes. The Team programme is a twelve-week personal development programme for 16-to-25-year-olds to gain new skills, earn a qualification, conduct work experience and meet like-minded people. The Achieve programme supports students aged 11 to 19 who may need additional assistance to succeed in education.
We will also use the garden as part of a year-long programme for students, leading to a qualification in horticulture skills, as well as providing opportunities for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to take part in garden maintenance contributing to their community projects.
More about The King's Trust
The King's Trust helps tens of thousands of young people each year, helping three in four build the confidence and skills they need to move into work, education or training. Uxbridge College is proud to have delivered The King’s Trust programmes for almost 30 years and we have supported over 1000 students in that time! Through these initiatives these young people have developed their skills and confidence, contributed to community projects and taken part in activities and opportunities to set themselves up for a brighter future.
Photo credit: main images by Paul Upward
