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NEWS RELEASE

Ref: 155/08
Date: 26 May 2008

Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR
Out of hours telephone 020 7270 8960

Flower show giveaway proves a hit

A new attraction at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show has crowds flocking – but it’s not a conventional exhibit.

The Show’s garden leftovers are being offered to community groups and charities who can re-use them, proving that one person’s discarded flower-pot can be another’s treasure.

The re-use yard, run by the Charities Advisory Trust, opens its doors today to find new homes for flower show materials which are not otherwise recycled.

Exhibitors dismantling their sites have been depositing materials with the yard, based at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show site, since the end of the Show on Saturday. For the next eight days, groups will visit the yard by prior arrangement to collect materials including flower-pots, wood and stones.

Environment Minister Joan Ruddock, who visited the yard today, commended this practical approach to re-using materials.

‘‘The re-use yard reflects people’s growing interest in re-use and recycling. As a frequent Chelsea visitor myself I’ve often wondered what happened to all the ‘hardware’ left after the plant sales ended. This is the ideal solution. The scale of Chelsea means lots of communities will benefit. I hope the partnership between the RHS and the CAT will become a permanent feature.”

Charities Advisory Trust Director Hilary Blume identified the possibilities for the yard when she saw the opportunities for surplus materials which could be put to use by community groups.

‘The Trust knew these materials could be re-used, so we came up with a simple solution which provides groups like city farms, schools community projects with gardening materials. And it’s also convenient for exhibitors dismantling their sites.’

‘The Trust has made a commitment to clear the yard of materials so has arranged with Enviroworks Lewisham and the National Community Wood Recycling Project that they will scoop up all leftovers, to use on their projects. A win/win solution”.

Notes to editors

  • The Royal Horticulture Society is monitoring exhibitor waste from the Flower Show for the first time this year. For more information, contact the Royal Horticultural Society at pressoffice@rhs.org.uk or 020 7821 3043
  • The Charities Advisory Trust is an independently run trust which has been operating for over 25 years. It provides practical help to charities to help them generate income more efficiently. More information on the Trust is available at www.charitiesadvisorytrust.org.uk . The Trust’s Director, Hilary Blume, is available for comment on 020 7794 9835 or 07771797778.
  • The recycling yard is based in the corner of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, at Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London, SW3.

End

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Page published: 27 May 2008

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs