Charities and community groups invited to free events at Wakehurst this spring
Exclusive activities and workshops for individuals who may face barriers to visiting
Release date: 26 February 2025
Spring into Community
Thursday 24 – Friday 25 April and Saturday 3 May 2025
10:30 – 16:00
Free entry and parking included
Groups can book for free online
- Free for local community groups and charities, supporting individuals facing barriers to visiting
- Three-day festival of activities and workshops at Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden
- Festival celebrates the Millennium Seed Bank’s 25th anniversary
- Activities are drop-in or bookable at the welcome tent each day, and open to all ages
This spring Wakehurst will host Spring into Community, a free, three-day event of activities and workshops for local community and charity groups that are new to Wakehurst, as well as existing group members of Wakehurst’s Community Access Scheme (CAS). Spring into Community opens the gardens for those who may face barriers to visiting and connects participants with the wonder of Wakehurst and Kew Science.
For the second annual Spring into Community event, this year celebrates the Millennium Seed Bank’s 25th anniversary, showcasing the magnificent world of seeds. Home to the world’s largest store of wild seeds, Kew's Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) is housed in Wakehurst’s 535 acres, and the gardens will be marking this milestone with seed-themed workshops, tours and activities. Spring into Community participants can enjoy accessible British Sign Language tours of the Millennium Seed Bank Atrium, and seed-matching workshops that shine the spotlight on the MSB’s celebrated links with global partnerships.
Wakehurst’s wider landscape also forms the perfect setting for horticultural inspiration throughout Spring into Community, and those looking to get hands-on can join a ‘Sow and Grow’ taster session or sustainable gardening workshop. For budding young ecologists, a seed-saving children’s workshop will sow the seeds of environmental passion. Community groups can also play a vital role in Wakehurst’s citizen science project, Trees for Bees. Data collected on a ‘pollinator safari’ will feed into the Nature Unlocked programme, as Wakehurst’s scientists are exploring biodiversity’s benefits to our pollinator population.
Harri Oliver, Participation Manager, said:
“We’re thrilled to be able to host Spring into Community, which is all about celebrating community, science and horticulture at Wakehurst. As a team, we work with diverse audiences to ensure everyone can experience the joy and positive well-being effects of connecting with nature. We hope that every participant can spend the day with us at Wakehurst, exploring the gardens and finding a workshop or activity that resonates with them, so they can come away feeling empowered.”
Enjoying free garden entry throughout Spring into Community, visitors can experience Wakehurst’s wider landscape, abundant with spring blooms. April and May are the perfect time to see Wakehurst’s unmissable carpet of bluebells in Bethlehem Wood, whilst the Water Gardens burst into vibrant life with bold rhododendrons in an array of bold colours.
Wakehurst’s Community Access Scheme (CAS) was established in 2023 and aims to break down the physical, sensory, psychological, or social barriers that some face when visiting independently. CAS has so far welcomed 53 group members, encompassing services that support older people, people living with dementia, adults with learning disabilities and many more. CAS membership is valid for three years, and group members can enjoy exclusive workshops such as monthly gardening ‘Sow and Grow’ sessions, Glow Wild lantern-making workshops and more.
ENDS
Download images here: https://we.tl/t-1ghpJbJHAR
For more information, images and interviews please contact Jessica Hayne, Media and Communications Officer: j.hayne@kew.org or WakehurstPR@Kew.org.
To register for the event, please visit www.kew.org/learning/community-access/community-access-at-wakehurst/spring-into-community
Notes to Editors
Spring into Community at Wakehurst
24 – 25 April, 3 May
10.30am to 4pm
Free for community groups and charities, and members of the Community Access Scheme
Garden entry and parking included
Full event listing
Botanical ink printing workshop
Thursday 24 April
Drop in 10.30am - 4pm
Suitable for all ages
Screen print your own tote bag using inks made from plants.
Sowing the seeds of change
Thursday 24 April, Friday 25 April, Saturday 3 May
Drop-in: 10.30am to 4pm
Suitable for all ages.
Make your very own 'zine' while exploring practical, everyday actions that can lead to giant environmental change.
Story-telling
Thursday 24 April, Friday 25 April, Saturday 3 May
12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm
Suitable for all ages.
Join Wakehurst storytellers for magical tales inspired by seeds.
Mindfulness walks: Creative and mindful movement in nature
Thursday 24 April, Friday 25 April, Saturday 3 May
10.30am to 12pm and 1pm to 2.30pm
Suitable for 16yrs+
Led by therapeutic and accessible yoga teacher and arts facilitator Lou Thomas, this workshop is an opportunity to reconnect with nature and yourself, finding meaningful and mindful ways to relax and enjoy Wakehurst.
Pollinator treasure hunt
Thursday 24 April, Friday 25 April, Saturday 3 May
11.30am to 12.30pm
Suitable for 13+
Help us count pollinators around the gardens on this pollinator treasure hunt for Trees for Bees research, counting pollinators on trees around the landscape.
Dementia friendly walks
Thursday 24 April, Friday 25 April, Saturday 3 May
12.30pm to 1.30pm and 2pm to 3pm
Suitable for all ages.
Join us for a guided walk around the beautiful gardens, supported by Alzheimer's Society trained guides.
Millennium Seed Bank Tour
Thursday 24 April, Friday 25 April, Saturday 3 May
12.30 to 1.30pm and 2pm to 3pm
Suitable for all ages.
Explore the MSB and the treasures that lie beneath in its vaults. Lead by one of our teachers and interpreted by a BSL interpreter, join us for an inside look the Millennium Seed Bank.
Seeds Around the World: A Global Journey
Thursday 24 April, Friday 25 April, Saturday 3 May
Drop-in: 10.30am to 4pm
Suitable for all ages
Discover the international reach of the Millennium Seed Bank and celebrate its global partners! Join us in matching seeds to their country of origin and explore the many ways these collected seeds are used around the world.
Skills for Sustainable Gardening
Thursday 24 April, Friday 25 April, Saturday 3 May
Drop-in: 10.30am to 4pm
Suitable for 5+
Join our expert from the Millennium Seed Bank to learn the essentials of seed saving. This hands-on activity will teach you when and how to collect seeds, and how to store them using a mini-seed bank. Perfect for anyone looking to develop sustainable gardening skills!
Sow and Grow taster session
Thursday 24 April, Friday 25 April, Saturday 3 May
11am to 11.45am & 12pm to 12.45pm,
1.30pm to 2.15pm & 2.45pm to 3.15pm
Suitable for adults
Interested in joining our monthly gardening club? Join us for a taster session in the Children's & Community Garden.
Wakehurst Wheel of Fortune with Moving Sounds
Thursday 24 April, Friday 25 April, Saturday 3 May
Drop in: 12pm to 4pm
Suitable for 14+
Spin the Wheel of Fortune and watch as an artist brings your ideas to life, as we come together to address the bio-diversity crisis.
Forest Bathing
Thursday 24 April, Friday 25 April, Saturday 3 May
11.00am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 3.30pm
Session is 1 hour
Suitable for adults
Awaken your senses and engage with your natural surroundings in these immersive sessions in the gardens.
Mini Seed Savers: fruit-filled fun for little green thumbs!
Thursday 24 April, Friday 25 April, Saturday 3 May
Drop In: 10.30am to 4pm
Suitable for all children and young adults
Kids will learn how to extract seeds from fruit and become little seed-saving experts!
Rhythms of the earth
Friday 25 April, Saturday 3 May
12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm
30 min sessions
Suitable for all ages.
Join Mohamed Gueye for a traditional West African Djembe drum and singing workshop and learn about the meanings behind rhythms you play.
About Wakehurst
Please note that Wakehurst is referred to just as Wakehurst, not Wakehurst Place. It is not a National Trust property.
The National Trust was bequeathed the Mansion and grounds of Wakehurst in 1963. It was then entrusted to us here at Kew in 1965, and we now work in partnership with the National Trust to care for our collections and heritage areas.
Wakehurst is Kew’s wild botanic garden in the Sussex High Weald. Its ancient and beautiful landscapes span 535 acres and are a place for escape, exploration, tranquillity, and wonder. Its diverse collection of plants from Britain and around the globe thrive within a tapestry of innovative gardens, temperate woodlands, meadows, and wetlands. Wakehurst is a centre for UK biodiversity and global conservation, seed research and ecosystem science. At its heart is Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, the world’s largest store of seeds from wild plant species.
RBG Kew receives approximately one third of its funding from Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils. Further funding needed to support RBG Kew’s vital work comes from donors, membership and commercial activity including ticket sales. In the first six months since implementing a new accessibility scheme for those in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Legacy Benefits, Kew has welcomed over 100,000 visitors with £1 tickets.
At the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, we’re dedicated to harnessing the power of plants and fungi to end the extinction crisis and secure a future for all life on Earth. With our world-leading research, global partnerships and beloved gardens – home to the world’s most diverse collections of plants and fungi – we’re using our trusted voice to shape policy and practice worldwide. As a charity we rely on the critical support of our visitors, not only to sustain the gardens, but to protect global plant and fungal biodiversity for the benefit of our planet and humanity.