RHS Campaign for School Gardening welcomes 10,000th member

15:12:20 31st December 2009

An initiative to encourage children to take an interest in garden and greenhouse growing has reached a major milestone.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Campaign for School Gardening recently welcomed its 10,000th institution to its ranks.

It means that over 2.5 million UK school children have been given the chance to learn about cultivating everything from fruit and veg to trees since the scheme began in 2007.

The 10,000th member was Compton Church of England Primary School from Newbury in Berkshire and Sharon Annetts, a teacher at the institution, explained how the pupils will benefit.

"We are so pleased to be the 10,000th school to register with the RHS scheme and we plan to plant our new fruit tree on our school allotment for all to see," she said.

The RHS' head of education Dr Ruth Taylor visited the school to present an engraved plaque and a plum tree to get the staff and pupils started with their garden.

Meanwhile, the RHS has revealed that a thanksgiving service will be held on January 10th to celebrate the life of renowned gardener Bonham Blazeley, who passed away earlier this year.