Gardening charity hosts anniversary reception

A Yorkshire gardening charity has helped a long-standing business supporter celebrate a milestone anniversary after hosting a special reception in Harrogate.

Property, housebuilding and mining firm The Banks Group held its 50th anniversary reception at Horticap’s Bluecoat Wood Nurseries in Harrogate, bringing together staff, partners and contacts from across the region.

County Durham-headquartered Banks has supported the charity for a number of years, with recent funding helping Horticap purchase a new electric van used to transport students to gardening projects across the Harrogate area.

Previous donations have also funded improvements to the charity’s nature trail and the installation of two new polytunnels to enhance its growing and teaching facilities.

Horticap provides horticultural training and work experience for around 55 adults with learning and other disabilities from across Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon, using gardening to help develop practical, social and personal skills.

Guests at the event were also treated to a surprise video message from Horticap patron Alan Titchmarsh, whose image also features on the charity’s new electric van.

Horticap chairman Peter Hornby said: “We use horticulture as an educational tool in a supportive and friendly working environment in which our students can develop their social and communication abilities, and we see the positive results of what we do every single day.

“Banks has provided absolutely invaluable support for our work over many years and we were very happy to welcome them to our nursery for their special event.”

The reception formed part of Banks’ year-long programme of activities to mark its 50th anniversary.

Harry Banks OBE DL, chairman and chief executive at the Banks Group, added: “Yorkshire has been a key market for us through almost all of our first 50 years and we wanted to celebrate everything that we’ve achieved in the county with our local contacts, as well as to highlight our exciting future plans here.”

Rob Ormrod, land director and head of Banks’ Yorkshire office, added: “Horticap undertakes fantastic work which builds both the skills and the self-confidence of its students, and their beautiful gardens provided the perfect location for us to hold our Yorkshire anniversary reception, with the surprise message that they organised for us from Alan Titchmarsh being a lovely extra touch.”

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