Letter from Council

The Society of Garden Designers (SGD) is committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive organisation that draws its strength from the diversity of its membership. While the Society has begun to look at how we operate and make steps towards this end, we are acutely aware that many of the issues we face are common throughout the wider landscape and horticulture sector.

There has been a growing recognition of this within other organisations, and the need to deal with the issues in a joined-up way has been acknowledged by the creation of a new initiative for the horticulture, arboriculture, landscaping and garden media professions. We are pleased to be part of this working group, alongside our friends from the British Association of Landscape Industries, Association of Professional Landscapers, Landscape Institute, Royal Horticultural Society, Young People in Horticulture Association, Garden Media Guild, Arboricultural Association, Chartered Institute of Horticulture and the Horticultural Trades Association.

This is the first time all of these organisations have worked collaboratively, and it is a momentous and very welcome move. The group’s first action has been to produce a charter outlining its commitment to creating and promoting an inclusive culture. This has been announced in the press (including the December 2022 issue of Garden Design Journal) and was celebrated with a formal signing at FutureScape London last year. The charter can be read via the new Policy section on the SGD’s website.

The Garden Design Journal is the Journal of the Society of Garden Designers (SGD): the only professional association for garden designers in the UK. The Society has been championing excellence in garden design for 40 years and counts some of the UK’s leading garden and landscape designers among its growing membership. The SGD welcomes everyone working or studying in landscape and garden design to join the Society. It is committed to high standards of professional practice and actively encourages its members in their efforts to raise and maintain these standards.

Categories of Membership

Student Member

Open to students currently attending a suitable course – see website for details.

PRE-REGISTERED MEMBER

Open to all professional garden designers who aspire to Registered Membership. Applicants need to provide evidence of competence in garden design either by qualification or review, plus evidence of professional indemnity insurance. This category now includes submission for Adjudication as an inclusive fee – there are no additional charges.

Registered Member

The status awarded to professional garden designers who have been assessed and approved by the SGD Adjudication Panel. MSGD (Member of the Society of Garden Designers) or FSGD (Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers) can be used after their name and they are profiled and promoted on the SGD website.

Registered Practice

A category for Registered Members who would also like to advertise their practice alongside their MSGD/FSGD status.

• You can also join the Society as a Friend. To find out more, visit the SGD website: www.sgd.org.uk

The group is very aware, however, that this first step is a small one and that the hard work begins now. We are sharing resources and experience so we can support each other, and we will collate data gathered from each organisation to create a benchmark by which we can all measure our progress. We will also establish clear objectives that must be achieved by the group and within each organisation.

We are aware that these entities have their own distinct membership demographics and challenges associated with these. However, we all believe that working together will help us to break down barriers and create a more equitable industry, one that is representative of the wider society in which we live, and that will appeal to future generations.

Darryl Moore

Darryl Moore, pre-registered member SGD Council - Education, Diversity and Inclusion

Sponsorship Opportunities

Find out about sponsorship opportunities for the SGD Awards and conferences by contacting Andy Barringer at sponsorship@sgd. org.uk