Monday 11 February 2013
Gnomes to be auctioned for RHS Campaign for School Gardening
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is lifting the ban on gnomes at RHS Chelsea Flower Show as part of the show’s centenary celebrations and to raise funds for the nationwide RHS Campaign for School Gardening.
The RHS is inviting celebrities to paint and decorate gnomes to feature at the world famous gardening event, before auctioning the gnomes online to help more school kids to garden.
For one year only the ‘celebrity gnomes’ will be on display at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, before being auctioned off via Ebay for the RHS Campaign for School Gardening. Gnomes were banned from RHS Shows as they fall into the category of being ‘brightly coloured mythical creatures’, which is how the ban is implemented in RHS manuals.
So far Dame Maggie Smith, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Julian Fellowes, Rob Brydon and Antonio Carluccio have confirmed that they will paint gnomes for the RHS Campaign for School Gardening. There are over 16,500 schools signed up to the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, engaging 3.5 million children with gardening and growing plants.
Last year an initiative called Pot Art at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, where pots were painted by a dozens of celebrities, including Dame Judi Dench, Jerry Hall, Joan Collins, Julian Fellowes and Alan Titchmarsh, raised £14k for the RHS Campaign for School Gardening.
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Notes to editors
For more information, please contact Hayley Monckton in the RHS Press Office on 020 7821 3045 or email hayleymonckton@rhs.org.uk
Photographs are available to download at www.picselect.com (register online free of charge)
To apply for media accreditation to the Show, please visit http://press.rhs.org.uk
RHS Chelsea Flower Show (21 – 25 May 2013)
21 – 22 May RHS members only
23 – 25 May RHS members and non – members
21 – 24 May 8am – 8pm
25 May 8am – 5.30pm (sell off starts at 4pm)
Venue: Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London
To book tickets 0844 338 7546 or www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea
Ticket prices range from £22 to £65. Tickets must be booked in advance
About the RHS
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 by Sir Joseph Banks and John Wedgwood for the en¬couragement and improvement of the science, art and practice of horticulture. We held our first flower shows in 1820, were granted a Royal Charter in 1861 and acquired RHS Garden Wisley, the first of our gardens, in 1903. From our first meetings in a small room off London’s Piccadilly, we have grown to become the world’s largest gardening charity.
Today the RHS is committed to providing a voice for all gardeners. We are driven by a simple love of plants and a belief that gardeners make the world a better place. 200 years on we continue to safeguard and advance the science, art and practice of horticulture, creating displays that inspire people to garden. In all aspects of our work we help gardeners develop by sharing our knowledge of plants, gardens and the environment.
RHS membership is for anyone with an interest in gardening. Support the RHS and secure a healthy future for gardening. For more information call: 0845 130 4646, or visit www.rhs.org.uk/join
RHS Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262