Journal

How wonderful that the judges decided that the best garden of the 2022 Chelsea Flower Show was the Rewilding Britain Garden. Even before I knew it had won the top award, it was the one I picked when asked by a Royal Horticultural Society guide for my favourite stand.

And how wonderful, too, to be invited to the Chelsea Flower Show last night, by the RHS – for their President’s dinner, hosted by Keith Weed, former head of sustainability at Unilever.

This was towards the end of a day that began with a car ride out to the Four Seasons Hotel in Hampshire with Volans colleague Charlene Cranny, to kick off a session on ESG agenda for private equity firm Oakley Capital. Fascinating, broad-ranging exchange. Torrential rain as we returned suggested the Flower Show could be damp at times.

Elaine and I had seen the Gardener’s World programme coverage of the gardens earlier in the week – so it was beyond wonderful to be able to walk into some of our favourites. Among mine was the RAF Benevolent Fund exhibit, though obviously with Battle of Britain pilot father I had something of a vested interest. The extraordinary story behind the sculptor, John Everiss’s, involvement is told on the linked webpage.

Also loved the Bees for Development stand, where we talked about the organisation’s evolution and work with the founder, Dr Nicola Bradbear. Walked off with their 2021 impact report and will follow up. Fascinating to see beekeepers becoming champions of environmental restoration in Africa.

A parallel venture is Honey Care Africa, whose triple bottom line mission attracted me to them when I first encountered their founder, Farouk Jiwa, at the World Economic Forum some twenty years ago.

I can’t now remember quite when I first met Hazel Henderson, who sadly died on 23 May, though it was certainly some time in the 1980s. Perhaps around The Other Economic Summit (TOES) time? In any event, it was a huge privilege to have her as a friend – and to serve for quite some years on her global advisory board at Ethical Markets, and on the judging panel for her EthicMark awards for advertising promoting sustainability values. This obituary in The Washington Post is better than anything I can do.

Back this morning from a celebration yesterday of the lives of Pat and Tim Elkington, our parents, and Olive Adamson, Pat’s sister-in-law. Fitful weather, but a gloriously memorable day with friends and cousins including Adamsons, Griffins and Millses. Plus friends ranging from Jean Lane opposite, through one-time local gallery owner Martin Riley, to Robin Niblett of Chatham House, his wife Trisha and their daughter Marina.

First time we have been to Hill House for a couple of years, thanks largely to the pandemic. Wonderful catering by local caters, The Traveling Kitchen. More guitars in the house than you would see at a typical Rolling Stones concert. Tim’s large greenhouse has been taken down behind the barn, leaving an aching absence.

Gaia drove us across in a rented car, first to Little Rissington for the party, then to Bledington where we stayed at the King’s Head to relieve pressure on Hill House and rest our weary heads, a roiling swirl of swifts overhead, then back to Little Rissington in the morning, and onward to London.

Returned on Saturday night from several days with the Volans team at the Lluc monastery in Mallorca. Hosted by Daniel Christian Wahl, on the right in the photo above. Our theme: regeneration. The aim to re-energise the team culture after the lockdowns of recent years. Emotional at times, but it worked wonders.

Here’s a very short video shot by NTT Data in our home in Barnes on the theme of Ugly Ducklings and Green Swans.