On Wednesday, our CEO Andrew and Sarah, specialist recruiter in the horticulture and agriculture industry, were invited to the Parliamentary Reception of the All-Party Parliamentary Gardening and Horticulture Group.
As a company, we feel incredibly privileged to be invited to this reception and network with influential, industry professionals. Let's catch up with Sarah and Andrew to see how the reception went!
Sarah
"There were roughly 150 attendees at the reception with a number of MPs also in attendance. We saw industry leaders and experts across arboriculture, commercial nurseries, gardening and landscaping. We were introduced to the representative for Food and Rural Affairs Minister Daniel Zeichner, who emphasised his eagerness to support the industry, whilst having some challenging questions thrown his way. He explained elements of the new Oxford Economics Report which values UK horticulture at £38 billion annually, which could rise to £51 billion with the correct government backing".
"We also heard from actor Jim Carter who passionately spoke about his love for gardening, the need to nurture the industry and the people who will continue to help the industry thrive".
"After reading through the Oxford Economics report, I was fascinated to see that in 2023, the government reported that 417,000 people were employed by the UK horticulture industry, with over half of these being in landscape services".
Andrew
"I often feel in a privileged position at MorePeople in the sense that we get exposure to great people and superb events. The trip to parliament was no exception".
"In speaking with a broad range of extremely engaged and passionate horticultural professionals, it was clear that people from lots of (often competing) businesses are pulling together for the betterment of the industry. The opportunity to speak to many influential people and MPs to help drive the Horti agenda felt productive and it’s nice to see lots of views align. The litmus test will be as to whether the government can give it the attention and the boost it needs".
Want to discuss your next career steps within the horticulture or agriculture industry?
Schedule a chat with Sarah by clicking here.
