Press Release

Kew Grows Green Fingers

Kew launches a children's Gardening Club

This bank holiday Monday is an ideal day for families to visit the Royal Botanic Gardens , Kew . Not only will the Woodland Wonders festival be in full swing, showcasing all sorts of woodland traditions and skills rarely seen, but Climbers and Creepers, the UK 's first botanical play zone, will be launching a children's Gardening Club.

The Gardening Club will run after school every Tuesday during the summer term. There will be two age groups, 4-7 years and 8-12 years, with 15 children in each group. Each week the hour long session will be divided between hands-on practical horticulture in the Climbers and Creepers Garden and an educational nature walk to observe different plants and insects. Both age groups will cover similar topics, but the older group will go into more depth.

The launch day on 1 May will give children a chance to discover whether they have green fingers. There will be the opportunity to engage in activities ranging from looking at what parts of plants we eat, to sowing seeds and even how to take cuttings. If children are keen to come back and learn more they can apply to join the after-school Gardening Club.

During the summer holidays, as part of Kew's summer heritage festival, there will continue to be themed plant based activities on Tuesdays at Climbers and Creepers. These days will be open to all on a first come, first served basis. So there's no excuse to get gardening!

Notes to Editors

Running order at Climbers and Creepers on 1 May as follows:

11am Drawing and colouring
12pm Play with your food – what parts of plants do we eat?
1pm Growing Grass Heads
2pm Seed sowing and decorating the marker
3pm Learn how to take plant cuttings
4pm Sowing in the Climbers and Creepers Garden

Each session will run for approximately 20 minutes as a drop-in session. Children must be accompanied by an adult while they take part in the activity.

Application forms and further information for the Gardening Club will be available.

The Gardening Club will run from 4.15 – 5.15pm every Tuesday between 16 May and 18 July inclusive. Children must be accompanied by an adult whilst attending the Club. Successful applications will be subject to a £10 administration charge.

For further information please contact Lauren Bird, Oliver Basciano or Anna Quenby in the Kew Gardens Press Office on 020 8332 5607 or email pr@kew.org.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction and its 132 hectares of landscaped gardens attract over one million visitors per year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and represents over 250 years of historical landscape. The site houses over 40 listed buildings and other structures including the Palm House, Temperate House, Orangery and Pagoda as well as two ancient monuments, Queen Charlotte's Cottage and Kew Palace . RBG, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. www.kew.org.

For further Press information please contact: