One Hundred Years On
2004 marked the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Institute
of Horticulture.
| 20th
anniversary reception
Ten of the Institute
of Horticulture’s thirteen past and present presidents joined
numerous members and Institute guests at a reception held at the
Institute's headquarters in Belgrave Square in July 2004 to celebrate
the twentieth anniversary of the IoH’s inauguration |
 |
Another of the former presidents,
Des Day, had been a long-serving editor of the Grower. He and his successor
in that post, now editor-in- chief of the Grower, Peter Rogers, are holders
of the IoH Award for services to horticulture.
Proposing a toast to the Institute, Ian Flanagan, chairman of Perennial
(formerly the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Society), welcomed the
influence that the Institute had developed within horticulture and with
government. “More and more, horticulture needs to speak with a united,
coherent voice”, he said.
Thanking him, current President Professor Geoff Dixon replied that the
IoH had come a long way in its first twenty years, thanks to the endeavours
of many of those present, and he wished it greater success for the next
twenty.
Former President, Desmond Day,
has been delving into the archives; he describes the pioneering period
and highlights, year by year, our progress on many fronts.
The first organisation embracing professional horticulture was conceived in 1904 in the unlikely setting of the upper deck of a horse bus conveying three County Instructors from Long Ashton to Bristol.They were concerned that the recently formed Agricultural Education Association would leave horticulturists with a diminished role and, after a flurry of activity, the Horticultural Education Association (HEA), was launched the following year.
By 1984 the HEA had a broad based membership of 800 who agreed in a referendum to absorption by the embryo Institute of Horticulture, which was in the process of being established with the RHS fulfilling a vital catalytic role.
Over many years there had been periodic discussions within the profession on the need for an authoritative professional body with the objective of improving the status of horticulture by establishing a membership that met certain criteria and was supported by a permanent secretariat. This objective was finally achieved by the involvement of the RHS, through the enthusiastic backing of Lord Aberconway, and its Examination Board under the chairmanship of George Lockie. The latter chaired a meeting in May 1983 to set up an exploratory committee with delegates from nine organisations with an interest in horticulture. Meetings continued throughout 1983-4 to establish a draft constitution, articles of association and membership criteria.
There was widespread support for the fledging Institute at the first open meeting, chaired by Lord Aberconway, on March 21, 1984. By the following August 700 foundation members had been enrolled.
The role of the RHS was paramount, for it not only initiated the whole process but also made a donation of £5,000 and provided free office space and ancillary services for the first five years. The inaugural meeting was held in the RHS New Hall on September 19, 1984, followed by an 'official' launch date of January 1985.
All systems 'Go'
George Lockie, the first President, emphasised at the outset that one
of the aims of the new Institute was to foster a close relationship between
all sectors of professional horticulture - advisory and research,
amenity, commercial, education and training - each having representation
on Council, as did the branches (six covering England and Wales, one in
Scotland and one in Ireland).
From the start the branch structure
has been regarded as a vital component of activities with national officers
encouraged to attend branch meetings, a liaison strengthened last year
by the appointment of Vice President (Branches), thus giving direct branch
representation on the Executive Committee. Four standing committees were
set up with specific terms of reference - Horticultural Affairs, Education
and Training, Professional Affairs and Recruitment and Promotion, each
represented by their chairman on the Executive Committee.
From the beginning, the Institute has played a major role in the dissemination
of information and the encouragement of debate through conferences, symposiums,
seminars and workshops. In just four months from launch the West Midlands
& South Wales Branch had held a successful seminar on Pesticides and
Profitability. From that early start the pace, both nationally and
regionally, has never slackened. Many conferences have been run in association
with other organisations. The importance of such liaisons has been high
on the Institute's agenda resulting in representations on several outside
bodies.
The branches were also quick
off the mark in drawing up programmes of visits, as successive branch
officers had discovered a rich seam of places of horticultural interest
within their boundaries.
The Institute's voice
In those early years, in addition to that provided by the RHS and HEA,
financial support was provided by Fisons, NatWest Agriculture and ICI,
the latter seconding Pat Johns to be the first General Secretary
and financing his first year in office. Early on the scene too was an
essential communication tool, the quarterly IoH News.
By the end of George Lockie's presidency (October 1985), membership was nearly 2000 of whom 470 attended the first AGM at Kew where David Bellamy was the guest speaker. Taking over as President Professor John Bleasdale announced the launch of the Aberconway Award and the conferring of charitable status.
From the outset the Institute had been very active in ensuring that it had a voice in the corridors of power. In 1985 it was pressing horticulture's case in the light of R & D cut-backs, giving its views on the Food and Environment Bill and responding to a MAFF request for comments on the Review of the Plant Health and Propagation Scheme. These responses to Green Papers and the like continue apace and, in fact, the workload involved has increased in recent years.
Vic Fowler succeeded
John Bleasdale at the 1986 AGM. The urgent need to attract more
recruits to horticulture and improve the profession's image was high on
the agenda. As a past president of the HEA Vic Fowler was well placed
to spearhead the April 1987 Cannington-based conference
'Horticulture - its Education and Training Needs'. That conference was
a catalyst for the first edition of Come into Horticulture launched
in 1989 with a print run of 20,000 copies. A reprint of the same number
soon followed, triggered by a mention on a TV careers programme, and yet
another 20,000 two years later. In 1998 this first edition was succeeded
by a completely new, full colour, Come into Horticulture, again
with an initial print run of 20,000 copies and the same quantity being
required for a revised edition in 2000. From the first launch of the booklet
it has been well supported by the college subscribers to the Careers Advisory
Service.
On his home ground at Kew,
John Simmons was installed as President in 1987 - the year which
saw the launch of Professional Horticulture, a quarterly journal which
replaced the annual Scientific Horticulture inherited from the HEA. It
was also the year when James Bruce financed the Award in his name.
At the next AGM at Castle Howard in 1988 the new President, Charles
Notcutt, was able to announce that the Shropshire Horticultural Society
had agreed to finance the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition.
The first final was held at Writtle College in 1990.
A new journal
Following a second financial gift from James Bruce it was decided to fund
an annual lecture in his name to be given at the AGM. Grenville Lucas,
Keeper of the Kew Herbarium, gave the first lecture at the 1989 AGM where
Desmond Day succeeded Charles Notcutt as President.
By 1990 the Institute had been
served by three successive General Secretaries. In the spring of that
year much needed stability was achieved by the appointment of Angela
Clarke. A new computer system was installed and membership records
streamlined.
Michael (now Lord) Heseltine gave the second James Bruce Lecture
at the Long Ashton AGM in 1990. Bill Simpson was installed as President
and, following some constitutional changes (formulated by Charles Notcutt),
held the post for the next two years. Work commenced on a Corporate and
Business Plan in 1991 - the year which saw the launch of the Garden Writers'
Guild (administered by the Institute) and a highly successful conference
Managing Gardens for Leisure and Profit.
The Horticulturist was first published in 1992, replacing Professional Horticulture and incorporating IOH News. Desmond Day was its first editor, John Walker its News Editor. In 19xx Barbara Segall took on the overall editorship and in 2000 it was redesigned and published in colour.
The Corporate Plan 1992-96 was launched in 1992 when the late David Welch became President. During his term of office several new member's benefits were announced. At the 1993 AGM the newly instituted Presidents Medal was presented to the first recipient John Bleasdale.
The Institute's presence at horticultural shows and exhibitions has been a priority from the beginning with branches playing a major role. At Chelsea in 1993 a Silver Medal was awarded to the IoH stand, designed and constructed by Ann Rawlings and her team from the South East Branch. Another Silver was won in 1999 and there have been Bronze Medals along the way.
Chatsworth House was the venue
for the 1994 AGM where the Duchess of Devonshire gave the James
Bruce lecture and the new President, Peter Thoday, kicked off the
Institute's second decade by stating that "the professional and skills
of horticulturists are not recognised in this country as they should be".
He regarded rectifying this situation as a top priority.
A new award
In 1994 the Institute left its offices at Vincent Square for its present
location in Belgrave Square and a new post of Honorary Secretary was created.
In 1995 a successful recruitment drive among college leavers and the announcement
of a new award for 'Outstanding Service to Horticulture', limited to 50
holders at any one time. An IoH web page was launched in 1996. Overseas
Representation was set up and the Institute took over the administration
of the Martin McLaren Trust. After a succession of male presidents Jennifer
Adams was presented with the chain of office at the AGM held at HRI
Wellesbourne where the first IoH Award holders received their certificates.
A particularly significant conference was held in 1997 entitled Horticulture UK at which several problem areas were identified and follow-up action determined.
In 1998 Steve Brett re-designed the web site adding pages embracing horticultural courses, a list of consultants, etc. The 1998 AGM moved off-shore to Guernsey where the new President, John Love, expressed concern that colleges and industry were in danger of drifting apart - a situation which might be rectified with the launching of LANTRA, an organisation with which the Institute was involved.
In 2000 the Institute took
over the administration of the Norah Stucken Trust and established an
award for projects of particular significance to horticulture. The first
recipient was the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI).
Chartered Status?
Discussion on a bid for chartered status dated back to 1985. In 2000 the
subject surfaced again and a delegation met the Clerk to the Privy Council.
Following that meeting a decision was made to pursue consultation with
other bodies within the profession. This was one of the issues which the
new President, ProfessorJeff Moorby, took on board when he came
to office in October 2000. During his presidency both the Spedding Report
and the Quinquennial Review of HRI were published. It seemed that the
subject of so-called R & D 'rationalisation' would be ever with us!
In 2001 a Publications Management Committee came into being and in 2002 a more comprehensive Members Handbook was published.
In the first two years of the new century the Institute became more involved than ever before in responding to Green Papers, Reviews and Enquiries. It also produced its own Position Papers setting out its views on various subjects. One such Paper covered the Genetic Modification of Plants and another Education Provision for Horticulture.
The current President, Professor
Geoff Dixon, succeeded Jeff Moorby in October 2002 at a well- attended
AGM in Cornwall which included a visit to the Eden Project. During 2003
Professor Dixon highlighted several problem areas which have preoccupied
the Institute for many years, such as the dilution of standards in education,
the reduction of our research capability (the latest being the proposed
closure of HRI Efford), and the need to increase membership so that the
Institute's work in representing horticulture and enhancing its reputation
as opinion formers, can continue apace.
'My next trick is impossible' was one of the late Tommy Cooper's memorable
punch-lines. I felt exactly the same when I delved into the archives and
confronted the need to encapsulate twenty years of IoH history in a single
article.
The Institute has not merely
been active. It has been hyper- active. Inevitably large chunks
of
our activities have had to be left out, so too have the names of hundreds
of members who have played a vital part in everything that has been achieved.
Even the names of those three chaps on the North Somerset horse bus have had to be omitted.
To mark the 20th Anniversary of the Institute All the Presidents over this period offer assessments of the highlights of their years of office and offer thoughts for the future.
Click
here for the Anniversary
article by Professor Geoffrey R Dixon, the current president of the IoH,
on the Horticultural Education Association and the formation of the IoH.