CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW - a volunteer’s story.
5.30 – the alarm goes off and I switch it off hurriedly so as not to disturb Alan. I scramble out of bed and stagger bleary eyed to the bathroom. Showered, hair washed and made up; I don the summery clothes I have decided to wear today. It’s a special day, as I am volunteering for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) at the first day of the Chelsea Flower Show. As my duty starts at 8am, I am due to catch the 6.30am train and am hoping there will be no delays. I should report in fifteen minutes before the gates open to the visitors at 8am and as I would like to get a peaceful look at some of the gardens before the crowds arrive, I am aiming to get to Chelsea Hospital early.
It’s 7.25am when I walk through the Exhibitors entrance ahead of the already queuing visitors, having been through security. I report in to the RHS stand on Northern Road and then I have about twenty minutes to see some of the show. This is a wonderful time as there is a quiet anticipation all around the show. The stewards from the RHS are walking round with the medal certificates – what has been awarded to which gardens; will the garden designers be ecstatic or desolate; will the plant nurseries have their year’s work rewarded. I just happen to be looking at ‘Fleming’s Float’, one of the show gardens, when Jenny Bond arrives with a BBC cameraman in tow. The two RHS stewards are walking down the path and the garden designer is just arriving at the garden. Jenny Bond thrusts the microphone into his face asking what medal does he think he has won – and then the stewards are handing over the certificate and it’s a Gold. He hugs Ms Bond and its all captured for the viewers.
All too soon I have to be back at the RHS stand to start ‘work’. The volunteers do stints of two hours. But, you may be wondering, what are we doing? The RHS is the UK’s leading gardening charity, believing that horticulture and gardening enrich people’s lives. It aims to enhance understanding and appreciation of cultivated plants and to provide contact with the natural world. The support of its members is vital to its fulfilling its charitable work and this is why the volunteers are on duty at all the shows and the RHS gardens, to encourage visitors who are not members to join up. It’s great fun and as a volunteer you get to talk to lots of different people from all over the UK and also from overseas.
Earlier in the year all the volunteers have spent a morning at Vincent Square (RHS headquarters) learning what it’s all about. We hope people will join by direct debit which saves the charity lots of time and money in administration, so we have to understand how to fill in the form and all the pitfalls concerning different types of bank cards. There is usually an incentive to join in this way and we learn how to present this to potential customers. It is also a great opportunity to meet other volunteers with whom you may be working. And its not only Chelsea Flower Show (the world’s greatest) that needs membership volunteers; there are also the monthly London Flower Shows at the Horticultural Halls from September to April; Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (the world’s largest); and the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park. You can volunteer for half a day or several days over the time of each show, and your reward is a pair of free tickets to the show.
I really enjoyed my day, and I was so pleased to hear that we had all but signed up our target number of new members. It was fun explaining the benefits of membership of the RHS to many people, who don’t always realize that there is free entry to the four RHS gardens for members and one guest; free entry to over 120 other gardens; free access to advice, plant selector, libraries, a monthly magazine; not to mention free entry to the London Shows and reduced entry fees for the other shows. Living in the London area means you have easy access to Wisley Gardens which are beautifully presented with special interest areas through out the year. RHS is presently building a new glasshouse which will incorporate not only various climate zones, but also an education centre in keeping with its aim to bring understanding and appreciation of cultivated plants to a diverse audience of all ages. This is being built with funds from major donors and members, as RHS receives no government funding. The membership fees bring in less than half the funds necessary for the RHS’s charitable work.
I arrived home at 8.30pm – tired, but I had had a lovely day. I did some hard work – standing most of the time; but in the breaks I got to see most of the show as well as visiting the exhibitor’s marquee for coffee and sandwiches. Some volunteers even take breakfast and a hot lunch there, avoiding the crowded restaurants and cafes around the show. I was tempted to buy a few small things, and larger stuff can be stored at the show plant crèche for a small fee. It was great day out.
If you would be interested in joining the RHS contact: Development Office, Royal Horticultural Society, Freepost LON 10725, London SW1P 2BR or log on to http://www.rhs.org.uk/. To volunteer, contact Ms Elysa Rule, Marketing Dept., 80 Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PE.
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