Corporate sponsorship - our recent success stories

GlaxoSmithKline

Plant Conservation and Education

Children learning with Kew teachers

GlaxoSmithKline is working with Kew to save 125 plant species with the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership.

Around a quarter of pharmaceutical medicines are derived from the plant kingdom and the potential for more is enormous. Plants like the Rosy Periwinkle have helped increase the chances of surviving childhood leukaemia from 10% to 95%.

This work is coupled with a focus on education for disadvantaged schools, through bursaries for visiting Kew and Wakehurst Place, and other after hour activities in the  gardens for local children with disabilities through our Sunshine Ramblers events.  

www.gsk.com

Velvet Toilet Tissue

Treehouse Towers

Children enjoying Treehouse Towers

The construction of the newly opened Treehouse Towers, the outdoor play area for children at Kew, has been supported by Velvet Toilet Tissue. This new area of the gardens allows children to play and let off steam in a safe and secure environment. Discovering and learning about trees and nature are presented in a stimulating way through interpretation boards and games. Children can play and learn in the sustainably sourced natural surroundings in the family friendly area of the gardens near the popular indoor play area Climbers and Creepers.

Kew and Velvet have ensured that all elements of the equipment are created from FSC certified wood which connects well with Velvet’s ‘three trees’ initiative, where they ensure that three trees are replanted for every one used. The new play area attracts young children and parents who visit Kew and spreads the environmental messages of both organisations across this key audience. Through Kew’s visitors Velvet has been able to develop its brand in a fun and informative medium. This four year partnership has created a positive and sustainable relationship not only for visitors and customers but also between the two organisations across industries.

www.velvetbabymd.com
 

Jordans Cereals

The Big Buzz

Honey bees at Kew

One in five British bees died during the winter of 2008-2009. The decline in the British bee population has serious repercussions for British farming and food production because bees play a vital role in the pollination of plants.

With a track record in helping to preserve British biodiversity, Jordans Cereals and Kew worked together to raise awareness about the decline of British bees. The outcome of this partnership was Jordans’ Big Buzz Campaign. This project saw Jordans Cereals and Kew join forces to help British bees. Working together we helped families across Britain to think about bees and understand the importance of planting 'bee friendly' habitats. Jordans Cereals sponsored two bee hives at Kew Gardens.

These hives were located in Kew's popular wild flower area, close to the Main Gate, and attracted high footfall and positive news coverage. Jordans Cereals also sponsored a temporary Bee Discovery Centre at Kew's popular Climbers and Creepers family area. The Bee Discovery Centre brought families closer to bees and helped inform our family audience about their plight.

www.jordanscereals.co.uk
 

Xstrata plc

The Xstrata Treetop Walkway

The Xstrata Treetop Walkway

Kew Gardens is famous for its extraordinary collection of trees and we were determined to find a way to communicate to our visitors that trees are not just beautiful and inspiring but also how important trees can be to complex ecosystems. Xstrata, a diversified mining company, is committed to the goal of sustainable development.

Inspired by the ambitious project Xstrata made a significant contribution that made the Treetop Walkway possible. The Walkway is 18m high and is a permanent structure which allows visitors to stroll through the canopy of Capability Brown’s woodland in Kew’s deciduous arboretum. 

At 200m long the Walkway provides an opportunity to experience trees and wildlife at height, as well as offering a bird’s eye view of Kew’s 300 acre site and the London skyline beyond. A sky classroom offers a unique open-air learning environment in the treetops.

www.xstrata.com

Hanson Ltd

Conservation Area

Kew's Conservation Area

Kew’s Conservation Area is mainly woodland, with many British trees represented, including oak, beech, holly and yew. In spring, the woodland floor is a much-admired carpet of bluebells, wild garlic and snowdrops. Hanson makes an annual donation which allows Kew to maintain the pond, observation areas and the important educational field shelter.

Also in the area are some rare native trees, such as the Plymouth pear and the Bristol mountain ash - fine examples of Kew's conservation efforts. Some elderly exotics, the Turkey oak and the beautiful red oak, are a treasured legacy of the site's Victorian plantings.

There are meadows and grassy rides, wetland, ponds and a small gravel pit, all helping to support native butterflies, dragonflies and other insects. Amphibians, too, find a home here. Many of them are in decline both locally and nationally due to changes in farming and new building bringing about the loss of many of their habitats.

www.heidelbergcement.com

Seeds of Change Chocolate

Donation to Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank

As consumers demand ever more of the companies that they buy from, it’s vital that those companies are seen to support causes whose values they share. Plants are the basis of life on earth, so when Seeds of Change, pioneers in organic products, wanted to donate a percentage of their profits to an important cause, Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank was a natural fit.

Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank is a vital practical conservation project which is not only ensuring the survival of the world’s plants but also helping communities to use plants and seeds better. It’s hugely important to secure funds for the project and raise awareness of the role it plays. We are grateful to Seeds of Change for their support.

www.seedsofchange.co.uk