The Finnis Scott Award

Guidance notes for applicants

1.Introduction

Applications to the Finnis Scott Award are considered by the Trustees of the Professional Gardeners’ Trust. This Trust was established for the relief of poverty by providing monetary awards to people engaged in horticulture so that they may develop their skills. This award is funded by the Finnis Scott Foundation.

2. Purpose of award

The Finnis Scott Award supports professional gardeners to experience different garden environments, horticultural establishments and working practices in the United Kingdom or Ireland.

The visiting gardener can develop their existing skills, or learn new skills to enrich their own garden managementthrough this short-term work experience.

The proposal is expected to take the form of a secondment, job shadowing or an exchange of staff.

3. What the award money is used for

Applications to the Finnis Scott Award can be made at any time during the year.

The Award is flexible and recognises that support may take a number of forms such as loss of earnings, the cost of cover whilst the gardener is away, accommodation, transport and travel insurance.

This Award will not support the purchase of food or photographic equipment, nor does it support the study of plants in the wild in the UK or abroad

Examples of projects that will be considered include:

  • learning a particular horticultural craft skill e.g. topiary
  • management regime of a particular garden
  • glasshouse management
  • turf management
  • fruit or vegetable garden management
  • use of specialist machinery eg hedge-cutting equipment
  • compost management
  • care of specialist plant collections
  • managing volunteers

4. What to include in the application

Applicants are required to explain the relevance of their proposed project both to themselves and their place/s of work, outlining the experience they will gain and the skills they will develop.

Applicants are required to demonstrate, where relevant, the support of their own place of work and that of the host site for the proposed project.

5. Conditions of the award

The granting of the Award is conditional on the following criteria being met:

  1. The applicant should be a working gardener.

It should be clear that gardening is their job and main source of income.

The award is not for full-time students nor those not yet employed in horticulture.

  1. The applicant could not undertake the project without financial support
  1. The applicant should be resident in the UK or Ireland and plan to work there.
  1. The applicant should have demonstrated a clear commitment to horticulture
  1. The project has been agreed and arranged subject to the applicant finding funding.
  1. The application must be submitted at least six weeks before the start of the proposed project. The form should be filled in in full and a CV and references attached.
  1. If the Trustees request additional information and documentation it must be supplied.
  1. The project must take place within a year of the award been granted
  1. All costs must be accounted for, copies of paid invoices
  1. A report on the project must be written and sent to the Awards Manager within three months of the project being completed.

The funding from the Finnis Scott Award must be acknowledged and the report must describe how the money granted has been used and how it benefits the gardener’s career.

The report will be used to promote the work of the PG Trust. Photographs are particularly welcome, but any people in them need their permission to use them.

  1. The Award represents an agreement between the Trustees, the applicant, the host garden, and the applicant’s employer (if not self-employed.)

Should any party end the agreement, the awards Manager must be notified immediately.

  1. If the applicant fails to meet the terms of the Agreement, they will be given the opportunity to explain the situation to the Trustees and address any difficulties.

Failure to complete the project is likely to result in all or part of the funding being reimbursed to the Trustees.

This includes absence or illness for over 10% of a placement period.

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