The Horticultural Trades Association would like to congratulate Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle on receiving her Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) Fellowship in Horticulture.

During the IPT’s Christmas reception, hosted by the Speaker of the House - the Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP in Parliament on 8 December, Baroness Bennett was awarded her Fellowship and presented with a cartoon portrait to mark the occasion and her experience.

The Fellowship follows more than two years of her visiting various horticultural businesses, locations and events, HTA members and projects across the UK to gain an understanding of the sector, its issues, challenges, and opportunities. Her wide range of experiences included visiting growers, garden retailers, a hospice garden, school gardening, nature reintroduction, RHS shows, the HTA and its conference.

Baroness Bennett has previously shown a remarkable commitment and interest in her role as a Green Party politician, particularly in her work on biodiversity, access, and skills.

Jennifer Pheasey, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at the HTA, commented:

"The HTA was proud to support a number of the learning opportunities for Baroness Bennett to support completion of her Fellowship in Horticulture, which demonstrated huge commitment and interest in the sector, particularly in biodiversity, access and skills. The Industry and Parliament Trust Fellowships are a unique education-focused opportunity, with all those involved learning so much. Congratulations to Baroness Bennett, and we’d like to thank her for her continued support and interest in championing gardens and green spaces.”

Baroness Bennett added:

"A wide range of HTA members were extremely generous in giving up their time to provide me with a wide range of visits and a lot of knowledge about environmental horticulture. That ranged from seeing the amazing range of invertebrates in a richly biodiverse school garden to expansive tree nurseries on site on a development, surely a model to be encouraged. Talking to veteran nursery owners and managers, retailers and traders equipped me to scrutinise the government particularly on the post-Brexit arrangements, including the crucial issue of biosecurity, something that will remain a key area of activity."

The Industry and Parliament Trust Fellowship Programmes are designed to provide MPs and Peers with a unique insight into business and industry. The IPT is based around education and demonstrates a commitment from both an industry and a parliamentary perspective, working in partnership to support greater learning of all parliamentary matters.