The Plympton Gardeners Association was founded in 1948 to promote gardening and to assist members in improving their gardening skills. The Association is currently affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society, the National Vegetable Society, the Daffodil Society and the Dahlia Society.
Charity
Each year the Association chooses a charity to support during the following year and various fundraising efforts are put in place to raise the maximum possible, including a charity collection at meetings and funds raised when PGA volunteers run the Coffee Bar at Harewood House for 3 or 4 weeks each year.
In 2022 the PGA supported BASICS Devon. This charity provides pre- hospital emergency care, sending medically qualified volunteers to incidents at the request of the South Western Ambulance Service, providing an additional tier of medical support.
In 2023 the PGA raised funds for the Plymouth Deaf Children's Society.
In 2024 the Gardeners will be raising funds for First Responders, a group of local volunteers with specialized training who provide assistance at the scene of an emergency.
Meetings
Meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month at Harewood House, Plympton, Plymouth at 7:30pm.
After a short committee report there is usually a talk by a speaker. The talks are mostly, but not always, on gardening related subjects. There are often plants offered for sale and also some gardening sundries from our trading hut. At each meeting there are members competitions for flowers, fruit & vegetables, art, needlework & craft Refreshments are available after the talk, followed by a raffle. There is currently a charge of £1 per person at meetings where there is a speaker, to help defray costs.
PGA Chairman John Gilding presents a cheque to Sarah Bradley from Plymouth Deaf Children's Society, with Carol Penhallurick PGA Secretary.
