The Salters’ Company has won Bronze in The Flowers in the City campaign, run by The Worshipful Company of Gardeners. This campaign is perhaps the most visible demonstration of the Company’s charitable activities within the City of London. A street scene enhanced by colourful planting does much to contribute to the City’s international reputation as an enjoyable place to work. Firms which participate also comment on the uplifting impact an attractive workplace has on their staff.
‘The original idea was sown by the Company’s Court in 1948, when London was still pockmarked with many blitzed and forlorn sites.
Something was needed to brighten the City and after discussions with the London Gardens Society, a Competition for the Best Window Box or Balcony Display was launched in 1949.
During the 1950s, the award scheme went from strength to strength. For the Festival of Britain in 1951, the Lord Mayor wrote a letter to support an appeal by the Master. This was sent to hundreds of City firms, asking them to install window boxes. The call received an enthusiastic response, with nearly 2,000 window boxes lining the Festival opening route to St Paul’s Cathedral.
For HM The Queen’s Coronation in 1953, many City firms again answered the call and window boxes became the fashion. During the 1960s, the award scheme was reviewed and re-named Window Box Awards. The emphasis shifted away from horticultural excellence towards the “decorative contribution to the beauty and gaiety of the City”. An association with the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association was formed and the strapline Flowers in the City was adopted. The City Corporation also gave its support.
In 1985, the scheme reverted to being run solely by the Company with the support of the Lord Mayor and the Corporation of the City of London. Many new trophies have been added over the years. These have included an Atrium trophy in the 1980s, the Best Floral Street in the City in 1992, an Indoor Display Award in 2003 and a Livery Hall Trophy in 2008. The newest award is the Skyline Trophy to recognize the trend in roof gardens and green walls.
Following a major review in 1997, it was decided to divide the awards into Summer and Winter Campaigns. The judges, all members of The Worshipful Company of Gardeners, visit their areas at least twice in each period and provide recommendations for trophies and plaques. Final judging for those put forward for trophies is conducted by the Master, Chairman, Secretary and the Head of Judges. Plaques are given to reward and encourage effort. They are produced in different colours for each season and are displayed on window boxes and buildings throughout the City.
The Summer Campaign has three overall categories. The first is for displays of window boxes, hanging baskets, tubs, troughs and pots. The second is for garden displays and the third is a number of general awards, including the Master’s Special Award, given at the Master’s discretion. In total there are 15 trophies awarded. The awards ceremony takes place in the Mansion House and is attended by the prizewinners, judges and all the members of the Flowers in the City committee.
The Winter Campaign is specifically aimed at brightening the City in the dull dark days of midwinter. There are four trophies awarded for the best displays in the City and one for the best of the best. The awards ceremony is held at Cutlers’ Hall.’
Huge congratulations and thank you to the Salters’ gardener, Freddie Wright, for winning the award for us.
A group of Young Salters and friends set off to complete a half marathon and a full marathon in aid of Young Lives vs Cancer on 29th October.
It was a long day of walking, completing the marathon distance in just under eight hours, but the donations flooding their Just Giving page kept them going all the way around the London route, taking in the sights as they went!
In total, with an extremely generous matched funding of £7,500 from the Salters’ Company, they have raised just over £19,100, excluding Gift Aid – an incredible amount of money that will go a long way to help young people and their families fight cancer.
If you’d like to add to their total, then please follow the link below to donate.
https://www.justgiving.com/team/spiritedsalters
Congratulations and a huge thank you to all those who took part: Antonia Wordie, Emily Maccabe, Lydia Tanti Burlo, William Wordie, Hannah Wordie, Tom Wordie, Huw Cookson, Andy Mackereth, Natalie Holt , Matt Arrowsmith, Polly Hughes, Tilly Wordie, Millie Vacher, Oli Stebbing, Morgan Rose and Olivia Walker.
Over the next few weeks, we are going to be celebrating all things Salters and sharing them with you – both from time past and time present. We hope you enjoy this and gain more of an understanding of what we do and the impact it has.
The Salters’ Institute is hosting an exciting new series of online lunchtime lectures. They aim to bring chemistry, and how we interact with it, to life in ways you have never imagined. Chemistry can be found everywhere, from the skincare we use, to the jewellery we wear, to modern medicine. These lectures aim to explore the hidden chemistry in our everyday lives.
Do you want to learn about the role chemistry plays in medicine?
Join us online on Thursday 14 July for our final lecture of this series with Physical chemist, Prof Sir David Klenerman. David, who received his BA and PhD degree from Cambridge University will be joining us to discuss his work on the leading next generation sequencing methodology, Solexa sequencing. Diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s can be detected using this method and help us gain an understanding on how these toxic aggregates form.
The lecture will run from 12:30 – 1:30 PM on Zoom, with an opportunity for the audience to take part in a live Q&A. Tickets are £5 plus a £1 booking fee.
You can find out more information about David’s lecture and buy tickets here.
Available from April! The garden at Salters’ Hall is a beautiful space for your upcoming spring and summer events. Perfect for parties, receptions, corporate functions and meetings, or celebrations for up to 300 guests.
To celebrate the garden opening for 2022, all bookings made between Monday 21 March and Friday 15 April will receive a free glass of fizz for all guests at your garden event.
With the temperamental British weather as it is, a full wet weather back up option is available.
Please quote GARDEN22 when contacting for us for further information.
Congratulations to the Salters’ Education/Institute Team, for having the Chemistry Club resources selected as a finalist in the Free Education Resources category of the Education Resources Awards 2022, the link to which is below. The results will be announced on 6 May.
https://educationresourcesawards.co.uk/finalists/
Salters’ Garden played runway this week to Chinese fashion label, Pronounce, during London Fashion week, as lots of very tall models graced the scene.
In the final Salters’ Snapshot film, be inspired by the Head of Education, Mariama Ifode-Blease and the Public Programmes Manager, Sheila Pott as they detail the incredible outreach work of the Salters’ Company and Salters’ Institute, from onsite science family events to exciting new initiatives, such as the online Festivals of Chemistry. Hear first- hand the impact of this work on the lives of young people as we meet mother of four, Elaine Christie, who tells of her family’s experiences of attending and engaging with activities held at Salters’ Hall. Click on the following link to watch the film: https://vimeo.com/603763400
Join the Salters’ Institute on Thursday 9 September 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm for our Lunch Time Lecture with Professor of Experimental Architecture, Dr Rachel Armstrong.
Rachel will discuss chemistry from the perspective of the design of our cities and how we might be able to turn around the impacts of modern architecture, which notoriously contributes to 40% of global carbon emissions. Learn about “living” architecture and explore the future of civilisation without fossil fuel, including the development of off-planet worlds! There will also be a chance to take part in a live Q&A.
You can find more information and tickets here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thesaltersinstitute/503109
Click here to see the latest Snapshot Film…
In this third Salters’ Snapshot Film, ‘The Salters’ Architecture’, be inspired by the story of different Salters’ Halls throughout the ages – from devastation in the Great Fire of London to rebuilding and renovation after the Blitz.
Meet Brutalism expert Valerie Wilson Trower as she explores the iconic Salters’ Hall and its design features with architect, Ben Knight, Director of DmFk. Both discuss the evolution of the Halls and their witness to historic moments and social movements.
