A gardener from North Kensington who was hired as an ambassador for the Royal Horticultural Society has quit his role and blasted the Chelsea flower show for its “exclusivity”.
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Tayshan Hayden-Smith, 28, was made the charity’s ambassador for Young People and Communities in 2022, but says that he gave up hope of creating change at the RHS.
Mr Hayden-Smith became a gardener in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017. He began tending a nearby plot of unused green space, which grew into the Grenfell Garden of Peace. Out of that, he started Grow2Know, a non-profit organisation aimed at empowering young and disadvantaged people to enjoy gardening in nature-deprived inner-city areas.
In a strongly worded statement released on Instagram, Mr Hayden-Smith laid out his disappointment and despair at how his association with the RHS had unfolded.
A spokesperson for the RHS said: ‘The RHS supported Grow2Know on a project in the North Kensington borough by providing direct funding towards a community garden (£30,000). We also hosted and funded a fundraising event for the same community garden, asked local RHS members to support the project, and took part in a community engagement event with planting activities.
‘The RHS delivers one of the biggest national community gardening initiatives, investing millions in school gardening, community outreach and grassroots projects around the whole country. We have a major partnership with the NHS delivering community wellbeing gardens and a partnership with the Natural History Museum supported by Department for Education to bring nature to schools across England.
‘All gardens at RHS Chelsea flower show live on to be community green spaces in places like hospitals and schools around the UK. The world-famous event also raises vital funds for the RHS to do community outreach as part of its national programme of community work.’
Further details at The Guardian.