Kew Gardens invites sign-ups for for its fifth Community Open Week themed around Networks
22-26 May 2024
Release date: 5 March 2024
Kew is inviting community groups and individuals who face barriers to visiting to sign up for this year’s Community Open Week, providing free taster sessions of Kew’s Community Access and Learning Programmes. Running from 22 to 26 May at Kew Gardens, this year’s theme is Networks, featuring workshops, talks, and games across five days.
Events include:
- Talk on the amazing mycelium network, a hidden world of fungi under our feet.
- Fun games and activities to learn about the incredible world of plants, developed by Kew Science students.
- Kew community exhibition, highlighting artwork created by Kew’s regular programme participants.
- A giant community artwork which will grow before your eyes. Led by artist Maraid Mcewan, this participatory activity will explore networks, nature, and creativity.
- Explore the amazing world of soil. Play with different textures and learn about the processes that make the ground beneath us so special.
- A short grounding meditation and forest bathing.
- British Sign Language tours.
- Guided sensory tours for those with a visual impairment, dementia or who are neurodiverse.
- Lino printing.
- Comic book workshop with Kew’s Youth Forum – join their pursuit to design a biodiversity themed comic book.
The aim of Kew’s Community Open Week is to invite communities to learn more about Kew Gardens and its Community Access and Learning Programmes. Now in its fifth year, Kew’s Community Open Week has previously welcomed over 10,000 people for free, learning about Kew’s science and conversation work, through hands on activities.
Konnie Huq, Kew Ambassador and TV presenter said: “It is so important that everyone feels welcome at Kew and has access to nature. The creativity I see in the sessions they run and the way they ensure everyone is comfortable and can access the space is really world class, I hope more people get to experience the magic of Kew through the Community Access Scheme this year.”
One of the people who attended Community Open Week in 2023 from Future Gardeners (Bankside Open Spaces Trust) and The Sisterhood Supperclub Collective said:
“The days we attended were so welcoming with the staff being so friendly and there were activities for all ages and interests! The feedback from the day has been incredible with so many of our students, volunteers, and members of our community groups (many who have never visited Kew Garden’s before) saying what a wonderful time they had and that they will return in the Summer!”
Julia Willison, Head of Kew’s Learning and Participation said:
“Our Community Access Scheme provides year-round access for people who experience barriers to visiting Kew and we’d love to see more groups and individuals using this scheme. Community Open Week offers free sessions to those who might like to find out more about the amazing work of Kew and to try some of our exciting programmes. Access to nature should be for everyone, to improve our mental and physical wellbeing, as well as to help us really appreciate the wonder of the natural world and why it so urgently needs our protection.”
Community Open Week runs from 22 to 26 May at Kew Gardens. Thursday 23 May is designed for visitors who need a calmer environment and for those who are planning to attend specific activities due to accessibility requirements.
All events are open to community groups new to Kew Gardens and existing Community Access Scheme members. There is no pre-booking required for the activities, but the activities are subject to availability.
Community groups attending Community Open Week are free to explore the gardens independently and can also get creative with a range of self-guided activities and resources, including scavenger hunts, art packs and more.
To find out how to sign up for a session please visit: https://www.kew.org/learning/community-and-access/community-open-week
Kew’s Community Access Scheme is a group annual membership for organisations that give support to people experiencing barriers to visiting Kew. For more information please visit: Community Access Scheme at Kew | Kew
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For more information, please contact PR@kew.org
Images can be downloaded here: https://we.tl/t-kJP3fSxTxJ
About Kew’s Community and Access Learning Programmes
In 2023, Kew’s Community and Access Learning Programmes reached 22,860 individuals through practical activities. This included hands-on gardening at the Kew community allotments, creative activities to learn about Kew Science and accessible tours and well-being sessions.
In 2022 to 2023, 394 community groups joined the Community Access Scheme, enabling 10,875 people to visit the Gardens.
Activities are targeted at highly under-served audiences who face barriers to engaging with Kew. Recent examples include:
- a reminiscence project for older people with dementia, from African Caribbean backgrounds, in partnership with Nubian Life.
- a music programme for people with mental health difficulties, in partnership with the Wellbeing and Recovery College (West London NHS Trust)
- Discover Horticulture courses for groups supporting refugee and homeless communities including Micro Rainbow and St Mungos
About Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world-famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding collections and scientific expertise in plant and fungal diversity, conservation, and sustainable development in the UK and around the globe. Kew’s scientists and partners lead the way in the fight against biodiversity loss and finding nature-based solutions to the climate crisis, aided by five key scientific priorities outlined in Kew’s Science Strategy 2021-2025. Kew Gardens is also a major international and top London visitor attraction. Kew’s 132 hectares of historic, landscaped gardens, and Wakehurst, Kew’s Wild Botanic Garden and ‘living laboratory’, attract over 2.5 million visits every year. Kew Gardens was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and celebrated its 260th anniversary in 2019. Wakehurst is home to the Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world and a safeguard against the disastrous effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. RBG Kew received approximately one third of its funding from Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils. Further funding needs to support RBG Kew’s vital scientific and educational work comes from donors, memberships and commercial activity including ticket sales. For tickets, please visit www.kew.org/kew-gardens/visit-kew-gardens/tickets. Since implementing a new accessibility scheme for those in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Legacy Benefits, Kew has welcomed over 50,000 visitors with £1 tickets.
