00:00Ladies and gentlemen, it was with great pride that I succeeded my grandmother Queen Elizabeth
00:06the Queen Mother as patron of the National Garden Scheme 18 years ago. The National Garden Scheme
00:13is a remarkable organisation with such a simple but effective mission. People open their gardens
00:21to visitors and raise money which the National Garden Scheme donates annually to a group of
00:27National Nursing and Health Charities, some of which I am also involved with such as Macmillan
00:33and Marie Curie. The scheme was actually set up by a nursing organisation, the Queen's Nursing
00:40Institute, which managed district nursing prior to the formation of the National Health Service
00:46and which continues to give these community nurses vital support today. When the scheme started in
00:54the 1920s all gardens charged the same admission of one shilling. Today they charge a bit more and
01:03the total raised is quite phenomenal, some four million pounds in 2019 alone. But now for the first
01:12time in over 90 years gardens are unable to open and subsequently no funds are being raised for charity.
01:20I must say that I can empathise hugely with garden owners frustration about this because like them for
01:29the first time in 26 years I too have been unable to open High Grove Garden to visitors. Of course
01:35this is
01:35at a time when the nursing charities the National Garden Scheme supports are working heroically on the
01:41front line of the coronavirus pandemic and need the financial support more than ever. Now I realise that
01:49people may not be able physically to visit any gardens at the moment but I am delighted to say that
01:55the
01:55National Garden Scheme has cleverly adapted itself to offer virtual garden visits instead. Garden owners
02:03are making short films about their gardens and every week they are uploaded to the National Garden Scheme's
02:09website for members of the public to watch and enjoy. Of course this is tapping into the theme that we
02:17all
02:17know to be so important that gardens are good for everyone's healthy health and wellbeing. I am especially proud that
02:26the National Garden Scheme has undertaken pioneering work in this space, in particular commissioning in 2016 a report from the
02:35King's Fund entitled Gardens and Health, as well as supporting charities that build gardens in hospitals and other healthcare settings.
02:44This link between gardens has never been more relevant, especially as we endure the challenges of the confined circumstances in
02:56which we currently find ourselves, in many cases beset with anxiety and, I am afraid to say, often with personal
03:04tragedy.
03:06During these times the beneficial effects of gardens and green spaces have never been more apparent. The reassuring solace, peace
03:16and inspiration of a garden, whether it is your own or someone else's, can now be found to a certain
03:25extent through digital means, thanks to this terrific scheme.
03:30So, ladies and gentlemen, I do hope that you enjoy the films and are able to support this remarkable charity.
03:37I do hope that you enjoy the films and haveorks of nature, and it's still creative and that is sort
03:38of just Kill好織� 2050 of Northernras.
03:38Rachel Drittisi
03:39To be continued...
03:40I guess that the disappointment of this was a journey of powerhouse in western supplements.
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