Kew Foundation Annual Review 2016/17
Printed on 100% recycled paper
Contents 2 Thank you from the Director of Kew Foundation 7 Sharing the Wonder 7 The Lady Lisa Sainsbury Lecture Theatre 8 The Children’s Garden 11 The School of Horticulture 14 Grow Wild 19 Science: In our DNA 19 Digitising the Collections 20 Tropical Important Plant Areas: Mozambique 22 The Temperate House 23 Agius Evolution Garden 25 Celebrating Kew’s Natural Capital 25 The Woodland Walk 26 Financial Information 30 Trustees and Donors 36 Looking ahead to 2018
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Thank you from the Director, Kew Foundation On behalf of the Trustees and staff of Kew Foundation, I am pleased to share this, the final review of Kew Foundation activities, for the financial year 2016/17. With the July integration of Kew Foundation into the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2017 has been a year of growth and change. As we move forward with ambitious plans for enhanced collaboration and efficiency, we do so with renewed passion for our cause.
Meredith Pierce Hunter
Every donation to Kew makes a difference, and together in the last year, you have helped us to raise £21.9 million. I offer my sincere thanks for the generosity of thousands of dedicated donors, some of whom have been supporting Kew for many years. Through gifts directed to the Kew Fund, we have been able to finance critical scientific and horticultural work both in the UK and overseas. It is encouraging to see such tremendous support, not only for our two beautiful gardens, but for Kew’s heritage and collections. Although I joined Kew only a short time ago, I already feel confident that this outstanding commitment will continue to result in many more successful projects in the months and years ahead. The Friends of Kew and Friends of Wakehurst programmes contributed over £5 million to Kew’s income in 2016/17 from membership subscriptions and Gift Aid alone. Membership goes from strength to strength and last year was no exception. We now have approximately 100,000 Friends across both Kew and Wakehurst. Our ambition is to deepen this relationship with our Friends, not only by delivering an exceptional visitor experience, but by reinforcing the key message that the support of Friends and donors is truly helping to protect the future of the many plants and fungi that we all depend on. Last year, we refreshed our Patron programme, adding a new level – the Queen Charlotte Patron. This bridged a gap in the programme, allowing further opportunities to support and engage with Kew at a deeper level.
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Palm House at Kew
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Wakehurst Mansion
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For many, the ultimate gift is to leave a legacy, and Kew has been supported remarkably in this way. I was delighted to learn that over the last five years, Kew has gratefully received some £14 million from gifts in wills, with 2016/17 seeing another notable volume of legacies. We are indebted to these individuals for their kindness and foresight; their gifts enable us to plan ahead with confidence, and to take on such challenging projects as the restoration of the world’s largest surviving Victorian glasshouse – home to some of the most rare and endangered plants on earth – the Temperate House, as well as develop innovative new landscapes at Wakehurst. I hope you will consider the inspiring stories within a fitting celebration of the development of Kew Foundation over the last 27 years, and an indicator of the impact philanthropy can make to our efforts in science, horticulture and education. With my sincere thanks and best wishes,
Meredith Pierce Hunter Director Kew Foundation
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Science Festival at Kew
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Sharing the Wonder Kew is committed to protecting the plants and fungi we all depend on, but we know that we cannot do this alone. Philanthropy is vitally important in helping us share the wonder of what we do in creative and engaging ways.
The Lady Lisa Sainsbury Lecture Theatre The Sainsbury family has supported Kew for many years, establishing the Sainsbury Orchid Trust Fund in the late 1980s and shortly afterwards joining us as Founder Members. Their philanthropic interests have varied from a keen passion for orchids, to funding for capital projects such as the Sensory Garden, and community engagement initiatives. We remain extremely grateful to the late Lisa, Lady Sainsbury for her very generous bequest to Kew. Lady Sainsbury had a clear vision when making this extraordinary decision; she understood deeply the impact that our work could make across the world, particularly through the education of horticulture and plant science. This year, it was decided that a share of Lady Sainsbury’s legacy should be used to modernise the former Jodrell Lecture Theatre, Kew’s only dedicated lecture facility. Named in recognition of her exceptional support, The Lady Lisa Sainsbury Lecture Theatre now reflects Kew’s contemporary science and dynamic research, with much-needed technological updates providing essential space for teaching and seminars, including hosting the State of the World’s Plants Symposium. In the coming months, a plaque outside the lecture theatre bearing Lady Sainsbury’s name will be seen by students, scientists and visiting experts alike, and will ensure that Lady Sainsbury will be remembered always as a pioneering advocate of Kew’s mission.
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The Children’s Garden We recently began the construction of one of Kew’s most exciting landscape projects to date: the Children’s Garden. This uniquely designed, innovative play and learning space will make use of Kew’s incredible collection of plants to enrich the experience of our 385,000 youngest visitors each year. The garden will be the biggest of its kind in the United Kingdom; with rock pools to explore, tall treehouses to reach and much more, it will entice children of all ages to develop a lifelong connection to the natural world. The natural play features will be themed around the four key elements needed for plants to grow: earth, air, sun and water – ensuring children and their families are given the opportunity to be inspired by the beauty of plants and nature, as well as to learn about Kew’s plant science work through fun and engaging experiences. This project has been made possible by the imagination and philanthropy of lead donors Jake and Hélène Marie Shafran, David and Sarah Fransen, Ben and Harriet Thorpe and the Bellasis Trust, along with many others. With their support, we will nurture a lifelong love and respect for nature in future generations. We would also like to thank Thames Water for sponsoring the water garden.
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Science Festival at Kew
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I have been lucky enough to be offered a permanent position as a Botanical Horticulturist in Kew’s Tropical Nursery on completing my Diploma. This will allow me to support Kew science through growing and maintaining high conservation value plants in the collections. Miranda Janatka, former Diploma Student Rare and threatened plants being returned to the Temperate House
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Homegrown talent: Kew’s School of Horticulture The applied science and practice of horticulture has never been more important, not only in terms of garden-making, curation and development, but also for food security, environmental management and conservation of threatened species. The School of Horticulture is one of Kew’s most valuable assets. In recent years we have strived to build on the School’s activities, to attract the brightest UK and international students. In addition to fine-tuning the Kew Diploma curriculum to ensure that it remains up-to-date and relevant for the modern horticulture industry, we have been able to increase the number of funded participants, aided by the support of generous Kew Foundation donors. Organisations such as Kew have experienced increasing difficulty in recruiting specialist botanical horticulturists in recent years. In response, we have redeveloped our Horticulture Apprenticeships for young people, focusing on those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Apprentices have the unique opportunity to work on once in a lifetime projects such as the Temperate House restoration. We would like to take this opportunity to thank lead donors David and Sarah Fransen, Alex and Fi Wilmot-Sitwell and the many other philanthropists who have supported the next generation of Kew horticulturists. We are also grateful to Mrs Yvonne Boyce for sponsoring the Harcourt Scholars scheme.
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Daniel Jones
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Meet the Apprentice: Daniel Jones What made you apply for an Apprenticeship at Kew? I finished my A-Levels and was unsure whether to go to university. I’ve always known I wanted to work outdoors, so I contacted local gardens asking for work experience. I really enjoyed it, and began researching training opportunities. Knowing Kew’s amazing reputation and collections, I thought this would be a truly once in a lifetime opportunity to train with the best. What have you learned so far? I have enjoyed working with a variety of plants. Every day is different and there is always something new to learn. I started by working in the Queen’s Garden, before moving to the Duke’s Garden. In January, I was assigned to the Grass and Woodland Gardens and now I’m working under glass. I have had lots of skills practice: mowing, weeding, mulching and edging. I especially enjoyed helping to look after the bee hives and have supported autumn turf maintenance and rose pruning. What are your aspirations following your Apprenticeship? I am excited about the future; there are so many options available to me. I’ve already taken advantage of the scheme’s international links and travel scholarship – I was lucky to be accepted to visit Switzerland this year, where I studied alpine plants in the University of Zürich Botanic Garden, the Schynige Platte Alpine Garden, and in the Swiss National Park. The work experience I’m undertaking at Kew will help me focus on my favourite aspect of horticulture and perhaps even work overseas. I’d also be keen to explore further education and qualifications such as the Kew Diploma.
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Grow Wild Following a highly successful launch in 2012, and being publicly voted the UK’s Best Environment Project in the National Lottery Awards 2016, the Grow Wild initiative has been awarded a second multi-million-pound grant by the Big Lottery Fund this year. As the UK’s largest ever wildflower campaign, Grow Wild has offered more than 4.3 million people – particularly young people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds – the opportunity to transform their spaces, environments and lives by reconnecting with nature. A homage to wildflowers: Youth Takeover Grow Wild’s Youth Takeover exhibition launched in June this year in Edinburgh. • Young artists between the ages of 12 and 25 were asked to outline how they would highlight through art the plight of wild flowers and their native meadow habitats • The resulting artwork included mediums from poetry and embroidery through to sculpture and steel band music Thanks to Grow Wild, enough UK native wild flowers have been grown to stretch to space and back in a one-metre-wide path, 20 times. For the next phase of the project, activities will be moving online and into the field. The team will be distributing seed and fungus kits, and nurturing community-led projects. Our enthusiastic volunteer mentors will be trained to share vital Kew messages and further inspire a fun connection to nature. We would like to acknowledge the Big Lottery Fund for their substantial gift, which will enable this wonderful project to positively impact cities and communities for years to come.
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Wakehurst
Ancient Yew Tree, Wakehurst
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Science: In our DNA Science is at the heart of everything we do at Kew. The following projects show the wide reach of Kew’s work in plant and fungal science: online, in the field and in the gardens.
Digitising the Collections: Taking Kew Science Online Kew is the custodian of one of the world’s largest and most diverse botanical collections. The 8.5 million items within our herbarium and fungarium represent more than 95% of known flowering plant genera and 60% of known fungi genera, yet just 20% of this knowledge is available online. Bringing 250 years of data into the digital age is a difficult but worthwhile task. The Plants of the World Online (POWO) portal is one of Kew’s first projects to harness the opportunities offered by advances in digital technology, with the ambition to make all of this valuable scientific data accessible online by 2020. Through the digitisation of our collections, Kew will provide a single point of access for authoritative information on plant species, and POWO will become the foremost mechanism for disseminating our scientific knowledge of plants and fungi. Our goal is to enable partners and scientists from across the world to utilise the data across numerous fields. This powerful tool will help to push forward the boundaries of scientific research, by informing policy, helping develop conservation areas and building a better understanding of plant resilience to climate change. The Kew Science team are grateful to Michel and Hélène David-Weill, The HDH Wills 1965 Charitable Trust and other forward-thinking philanthropists for their support towards digitising our collections.
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Tropical Important Plant Areas: Mozambique With one in five plant species now at risk of extinction, Kew is applying its expertise in plant identification to reduce the biodiversity loss sadly prevalent in many areas of the Tropics. Mozambique is home to rich and diverse plant life, however, the increasing demands of a rapidly expanding human population are threatening the country’s unique biodiversity. With a lack of local knowledge and reliable data, there is little to protect vulnerable species and habitats. Earlier this year, Dr Iain Darbyshire and partners headed to the Maputo region and have already made great strides in identifying potentially rare and threatened species. The team also worked to empower local partners, recommending solutions for sustainable use of plants and teaching conservation techniques. We would like to thank the Jonathan and Jennifer Oppenheimer Foundation and Stephen and Margaret Lansdown for their passionate support of this important project in Mozambique.
Mount Namuli, Mozambique
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A week in the life of Dr Iain Darbyshire To launch the Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) project in Mozambique, earlier this year we held a 5-day workshop with local partners to build their knowledge of red listing, a crucial part of identifying rare and threatened species. Days 1 and 2 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Listing training with partners in Mozambique, covering multiple taxonomic groups and plants. This list is widely recognised as the most comprehensive global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species. Day 3
Day 5
Red Listing meeting of the IUCN Southern African Plant Specialist Group, focusing on endemic and near-endemic species to Mount Namuli. It is one of the richest sites for rare plants in Mozambique, lacking any protection and many of its habitats are highly threatened.
Iain joined a plant conservation priorities event which was also attended by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Biofund, an outreach charity raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity.
We assessed 11 species during the day, one of which was described several years ago, and found to be Critically Endangered. This workshop was an excellent opportunity for attendees from the first two days to put their learning into practice. Day 4 A TIPAs introduction workshop was attended by 15–20 botanists and ecologists who are likely to play an active role in TIPA identification. Topics included the range of uses of TIPA information, the assessment criteria and the data sources for identifying these critical sites.
The group discussed advances in our knowledge of the Mozambique flora over the past decade, to showcase how much progress has already been achieved, as well as a successful case study of a similar conservation project in South Africa. Aspects of the meeting were recorded by one of the national television networks, with interviews mentioning the plight of rare and threatened plants in the Maputo region – outstanding publicity for plant conservation in Mozambique.
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Bringing Science into the Gardens The Temperate House With years of restoration work almost complete, we are now in the final stages of design for the planting areas in the Temperate House to ensure it provides the ideal showcase for our incredible work across horticulture and science. The iconic Grade I listed Victorian glass house is the largest of its kind to survive in the world and will house a collection of internationally important temperate plants, including many rare and threatened species. Through creative interpretation, Kew’s visitors will see the Temperate House as a natural classroom, with stories of plant-hunting from the past, present and future that link to the scientific research that makes us a world leader in contemporary plant science and conservation. We look forward to the Temperate House re-opening in early May 2018.
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The Agius Evolution Garden When horticulture and science work together in our Gardens, amazing things can happen. The Agius Evolution Garden will showcase the talents of our garden design team whilst also highlighting the ongoing work of Kew Science’s Plant and Fungal Trees of Life (PAFTOL) programme. Visitors will marvel at the beauty of a colourful, world-class garden created by our expert designers, as well as learn about plant evolution and its implications for the future of our planet. The garden will demonstrate the findings of one of the key outputs in Kew’s Science Strategy 2015-2020 – PAFTOL, and its role in helping prevent the extinction risk of species. By showing how all living things are connected by their evolutionary history, we are building a powerful resource to help us discover more about life on Earth. It is thanks to a generous gift from Marcus and Kate Agius that Kew will be able to bring the story of plant evolution to life for our many visitors.
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Celebrating Kew’s Natural Capital Kew is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, which serve as a living library for much scientific research into plant conservation. The arboretum at Kew contains a staggering 14,000 trees, representing thousands of taxa collected from all corners of the globe. Wakehurst holds a wealth of tree species, including the UK’s National Collection of birches and southern beeches. Kew is fortunate to partner with donors who share our enthusiasm for these treasured trees and woodlands; this year we have celebrated this unique area of Kew with the installation of the beautiful Woodland Walk. Previously hidden away in the south-western corner of Kew Gardens was a stunning 16-acre conservation area, carpeted with hundreds of beech, oak and sweet chestnut trees, and home to many species of butterflies, birds and wild flowers. With the introduction of the new Woodland Walk, a raised 300 metre boardwalk weaving through the conservation area, this expanse of the Gardens has been transformed, allowing visitors to explore previously inaccessible areas of exquisite natural beauty, and develop a better understanding of Kew’s work in UK plant conservation. It is thanks to the generous support of the Monument Trust that we have been able to open up our natural landscape with this inspiring new feature.
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Financial Information 2016/17
Where will Kew Foundation income be used?
9% 27%
37%
7%
Temperate House MSB – Millennium Seed Bank Research & Conservation Education & Outreach Unrestricted / for General Use Other Total
£M 5.8 1.6 2.4 2.0 8.0 2.0 21.9
11% 9%
How did Kew Foundation raise it? 4%
2%
24%
36%
16% 1%
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17%
Trusts & Foundations Major & Principal Gifts Corporations Legacies Membership Individual Giving Interest & Other Total
£M 7.9 3.8 0.3 3.5 5.2 0.9 0.4 21.9
What was RBG, Kew’s income? 4% 28%
42 %
Visitor Related Income including Kew Enterprises Foundation Grants Defra Grants Other Grants Total
£M 21.7 20.1 33 3.1 77.9
26%
What did RBG, Kew spend it on? 11%
18%
Costs of Generating Funds Research & Conservation Visitor Activities Total
£M 7 47.5 12.1 66.6
71%
* Funds raised by Kew Foundation are passed to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew as and when project costs are incurred. Unrestricted funds are granted to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew for their general use and are also used to fund Kew Foundation operating costs.
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Financial Information 2016/17
New gifts and pledges for the year to 31 March 2017 by projects supported 6%
1%
12% 13%
6% 62%
Temperate House MSB – Millennium Seed Bank Research & Conservation Education & Outreach Unrestricted for general use Other Total
£M 0.1 1.4 1.7 0.8 7.6 0.8 12.3
New gifts, pledges and income for the year to 31 March 2017 by department 7%
3%
8% 16%
3% 42% 21%
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Trusts & Foundations Major & Principal Gifts Corporations Legacies Membership Individual Giving Interest Total
£M 1.0 1.9 0.4 2.6 5.2 0.9 0.4 12.3
The Davies Alpine House
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Trustees and Donors
We would like to thank the Trustees for their service in 2016/17. Marcus Agius Giles Coode-Adams, OBE DL Hélène David-Weill Edwin Davies CBE Sir Mick Davis and Lady Barbara Davis Kara Gnodde and Richard Gnodde Ian Karet Sir Henry Keswick Kenneth Khaw and Ruth Yeoh Anish Lalvani and Tasha Lalvani
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George Loudon Angela Lynch and Michael Lynch Hélène Marie Shafran and Jacob Shafran Charles Sherwood Patricia Swannell and Robert Swannell Carol Walsh-Knutson Johanna Waterous CBE
Thank you In 2016/17, thanks to the generosity of the passionate individuals, companies, trusts and foundations listed below, we raised £21.9 million to sustain our position as a world-leading scientific organisation.
Marcus and Kate Agius Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Settlement The Amar-Frances & Foster-Jenkins Trust Arcadia Fund, a charitable fund of Peter Baldwin and Lisbet Rausing Struan Bartlett The Bellasis Trust BGS Cayzer Charitable Trust The Big Lottery Fund Bloomberg Mrs Yvonne Boyce Barbara Browse The Buffini Chao Foundation Calleva Foundation Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust The Christensen Fund Giles and Sonia Coode-Adams The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation Eddie and Sue Davies Sir Mick and Lady Barbara Davis Mieko Doiuchi Catherine and John Emberson The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation The Finborough Foundation The Findlay Charitable Trust David and Sarah Fransen Clive Gillmore GlaxoSmithKline plc Richard and Kara Gnodde Goldman Sachs International The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment
The HDH Wills 1965 Charitable Trust Roger Henderson, QC The Heritage Lottery Fund Suzy and Stephen Hester HSBC Holdings PLC David and Julia Hunter The Ingram Trust innocent foundation JATO Dynamics Alisha and Huw Jenkins John Armitage Charitable Trust John Coates Charitable Trust The John Lewis Partnership Jonathan and Jennifer Oppenheimer Foundation The JRS Biodiversity Foundation The Kirby Laing Foundation Carol and Kelley Knutson Kerry and Jonathan Lane, OBE Stephen and Margaret Lansdown The Linbury Trust Marks and Spencer Nigel and Lisa May The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust Millichope Foundation The Monument Trust Sir Mark and Lady Moody-Stuart Nicholas Bacon Charitable Trust Hamish Parker Frederik Paulsen The Peter Sowerby Foundation Jan and Linda Pethick Players of People’s Postcode Lottery Dame Anne Pringle and Bleddyn Phillips
Richmond Parish Lands Charity The Roger and Ingrid Pilkington Charitable Trust Richmond RUNFEST The Sackler Trust Sainsbury’s Bim and Pardeep Sandhu The Sarikhani Family Gillian Saxby Schroder Foundation Ian Sellars Sfumato Foundation Jake and Hélène Marie Shafran Dr Shirley and Mr James B Sherwood Duncan Spence Stelios Philanthropic Foundation Hugh and Catherine Stevenson Robert and Patricia Swannell Ben and Harriet Thorpe Toyota Motor Corporation Tullow Oil Turner & Townsend plc Johanna Waterous and Roger Parry Sir Samuel and Lady Whitbread Andrew Whiteley Fi and Alex Wilmot-Sitwell Winton Philanthropies Simon Witty and Véronique Legoff The Wolfson Foundation
We would also like to acknowledge the kindness of our many donors who have chosen to remain anonymous. 31
Thank you We are also grateful to the following donors who chose to remember Kew in their wills and whose legacies were received in 2016/17. Heather Brooks Betty Cairns Marian Clay Joan Cullen Margaret Evans Jean Finzi Malcolm Girard Brian Meldrum Eva Metcalfe Hazel Nock Patricia Painter
Mary Rebeiro Freda Robson John Rogers Anne Stoddart Enid Tolman Raymond Varney Netta Wills Claire Wright and those who have chosen to remain anonymous.
We would like to thank our current Corporate Members for their generous support. Bloomberg Bank of America Merrill Lynch GlaxoSmithKline Plc HSBC Holdings PLC JATO Dynamics John Lewis Partnership Marks and Spencer Tullow Oil Turner & Townsend
We would also like to thank donors to Kew Foundation America for their support in 2016/17. Alex and Adrian Catalano Barbara and Thomas Donnelley/ The Donnelley Foundation Charles Lubar Frances Hellman and Warren Breslau Joel and Laura Oppenheimer Nicholas Bacon Charitable Trust
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The Ellis Goodman Family Foundation The Herbert Simon Family Foundation The Negaunee Foundation and those who have chosen to remain anonymous.
We would like to thank all of our Patrons for their committed support.
Mike and Abigail Amey Jack Andrews MBE Sir Henry and Lady Angest Catherine and John Armitage Lawrence and Elizabeth Banks Jim Bartos Adrian and Jacqui Beecroft The Bellasis Trust Moira Black Jean and John Botts Jennifer Brzozowska Rosamond Brown Sir Ian and Lady Cheshire Dr Martin Cole John Cook Julian Darley and Helga Sands Stuart Donachie and Chris Carter Jonathan Drori Lord and Lady De Ramsey Hon Simon Eccles Michael and Joanna George Barbara Ghodse Clive Gillmore and Hélène Théodoly Lynne Guyton and Nick Dale The Helen Hamlyn Trust
Gayle Hopkinson Sir Donald and Lady Insall Andrew and Caroline Joy Sir John Kemp-Welch Kilfinan Trust Carol and Kelley Knutson Sonia and Nick Land Joan Lambert Steven Larcombe and Sonya Leydecker Dr Pamela Le Couteur Nat and Karen Le Roux Jasmina Ljuhar George and Angie Loudon Chung Mei International Holdings Limited/Christina and Sebastian Man Stefano Marinaz Landscape Architecture Joanna Millan Laurence and Neil Monnery Fiona and Julian Mylchreest Jan and Linda Pethick Dame Anne Pringle and Bleddyn Phillips
The Lord and Lady Phillimore Lady Pilkington Michael and Susan Pragnell Marie-Louise Rabouhans Elizabeth and Stephen Roberts Adrian Sassoon Ruth Savery Jake and Hélène Marie Shafran Robert and Patricia Swannell Robert and Hilary Swift John Taysom and Dr Dina Taysom David and Margaret Walker Johanna Waterous and Roger Parry and those who have chosen to remain anonymous.
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Thank you The Circle of Benefactors is a giving society that recognises our leadership donors. We would like to acknowledge the following donors, who have generously supported Kew with gifts of £100,000 and above. Marcus and Kate Agius The Amar-Franses & Foster-Jenkins Trust The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation April Trust Arcadia Fund, a charitable fund of Peter Baldwin and Lisbet Rausing Edward P. Bass (by the Bass Charitable Corporation) The Big Lottery Fund Mrs Yvonne Boyce The Buffini Chao Foundation Calleva Foundation Michel and Hélène David-Weill Eddie and Sue Davies Sir Mick and Lady Barbara Davis Defra The John Ellerman Foundation The Ellis Goodman Family Foundation The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Fondation Franklinia David and Sarah Fransen Maite Garcia-Urtiaga Garfield Weston Foundation J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust GlaxoSmithKline plc Richard and Kara Gnodde
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Google The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment The HDH Wills 1965 Charitable Trust The Herbert Simon Family Foundation The Heritage Lottery Fund HSBC Holdings PLC The Ingram Trust innocent foundation JATO Dynamics Jonathan and Jennifer Oppenheimer Foundation The JRS Biodiversity Foundation Kew Foundation America The Kirby Laing Foundation Stephen and Margaret Lansdown Lee Foundation The Linbury Trust George and Margaret Long Make My Day Better The Marisla Foundation Mava Fondation pour la Nature The Monument Trust Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation The Negaunee Foundation Nicholas Bacon Charitable Trust
The Peter Sowerby Foundation Players of People’s Postcode Lottery Pot Family Foundation The Sackler Trust Sainsbury’s The Sarikhani Family Schroder Foundation Sfumato Foundation Jake and Hélène Marie Shafran Dr Shirley and Mr James B Sherwood Duncan Spence Hugh and Catherine Stevenson Thames Water Ben and Harriet Thorpe Toyota Motor Corporation TRAID Tullow Oil Fi and Alex Wilmot-Sitwell Winton Philanthropies Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust The Wolfson Foundation and those who have chosen to remain anonymous.
Circle of Benefactors evening, 2017
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Looking ahead to 2018 • F or the first time, the 2018 edition of the State of the World’s Plants Report will focus on plant-fungi interactions. The often overlooked kingdom of fungi is vitally important to humans, providing food, medicine and enzymes for nearly all terrestrial ecosystems. •T he Orchids Festival in February 2018 will celebrate Thailand’s rich biodiversity and strengthen our relationships with likeminded organisations in South East Asia. •A fter almost five years, the Temperate House will re-open its doors in May 2018, and we will be holding a series of opening events to honour those who have supported its restoration. he Arboretum Headquarters at Kew is integral to the •T preservation of trees for future generations. In 2018, working with the recently formed Arboretum Circle of donors, we will begin the process of delivering a new cutting-edge, multifunctional facility, which matches our staff expertise. To find out more about our vital work and ongoing priority projects, visit www.kew.org
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Front cover: A transverse section of wood from an Acacia blakei tree Images Š RBG Kew / Alicia Musson /Jeff Eden / Steve Lancefield / Iain Darbyshire / James Gifford-Mead
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE United Kingdom The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is an exempt charity.