王室の Horticultural Society is dragged into culture wars with moves to 許す it to become 'more inclusive'

  • A??critic said it was ‘another 会・原則 落ちるing to the modernisation 協議事項’
  • The 大統領，／社長 said the RHS would 断言する the ‘かかわり合い to equality'
  • TV garden designer Danny Clarke welcomed the 提案するd changes?

By Chris Hastings and Valerie Elliot For The Mail On Sunday

Published: | Updated:

The 王室の Horticultural Society is the 最新の organisation to be dragged into the culture wars まっただ中に moves to make it いっそう少なく white, middle-老年の and middle class.

The UK’s 主要な gardening charity, which recently 認める it was ‘失望させるd’ with its 欠如（する） of 多様制, wants to shake up how it elects board members.

The move will 許す the 団体／死体, 設立するd in 1804, to become ‘more inclusive’. However, one critic said it was ‘another British 会・原則 落ちるing to the modernisation 協議事項’.

RHS 大統領，／社長 Keith 少しのd has emailed its 500,000-strong 会員の地位 輪郭（を描く）ing the changes that he wants to make to how the 17-member 判決，裁定 会議 is elected. Instead of having to be a member for three years, the board could now be elected すぐに.

RHS president Keith Weed has emailed its 500,000-strong membership outlining the changes that he wants to make to how the 17-member ruling council is elected

RHS 大統領，／社長 Keith 少しのd has emailed its 500,000-strong 会員の地位 輪郭（を描く）ing the changes that he wants to make to how the 17-member 判決，裁定 会議 is elected

The 大統領，／社長’s 公式文書，認める, sent on New Year’s Eve, said it would 断言する the ‘会議’s かかわり合い to supporting equality, 多様制 and 傾向 throughout the organisation’.

Mr 少しのd said: ‘We live in a 急速な／放蕩な-changing world and the RHS needs to be able to 答える／応じる more quickly and be more agile to create a charity fit for the 未来.’

He said the 会議 had a wealth of horticultural 専門的知識 but needed people with other 技術s, such as 科学（工学）技術, data and sustainability. He 追加するd: ‘We need to 広げる our pool and reach out to people who might not already be in or even be aware of the RHS.

‘The society wants to help people of all ages and 民族の backgrounds to enjoy the 利益s of gardening.’

The 現在の board ? consisting of ten men and seven women ? are all white, middle-老年の and 大部分は drawn from the の近くに-knit world of horticulture specialists.

現在の members 含む the garden designers James Alexander Sinclair and Lady Xa Tollemache.

TV garden designer Danny Clarke, known as The 黒人／ボイコット Gardener, last night welcomed the 提案するd changes, which will be considered at a 会合 on February 19. He said: ‘The RHS tries to 取り組む 多様制 but something has been 行方不明の. You need 多様制 inside the club and once you get it, the 残り／休憩（する） will follow.

‘If more people who look like me are seen at the 最高の，を越す of the RHS, more people of different 多様制 will be attracted to the organisation.’

However, Jekka McVicar, 副／悪徳行為-大統領，／社長 of the RHS, said she was ‘gobsmacked’ at the 計画（する） and 警告するd that it ran the 危険 of diluting the level of 専門的知識.

The Royal Horticultural Society is the?UK’s leading gardening charity, which recently admitted it was ‘frustrated’ with its lack of diversity

The 王室の Horticultural Society is the?UK’s 主要な gardening charity, which recently 認める it was ‘失望させるd’ with its 欠如（する） of 多様制

‘It is failing to understand what the RHS is about,’ she said. ‘I 心から believe if you wish to 与える／捧げる to the RHS on the 会議 you need to understand everything about this amazing club.

‘It’s not just about gardens. It’s a learned society, with its libraries and science. It’s about growing 工場／植物s and the 技術 of growing 工場／植物s.

‘It leaves me speechless the idea that anyone can just come in and take a 会議 役割 if they don’t know what they are talking about.’

保守的な MP Andrew Bridgen said he did not see the 手段 ‘as the green shoots of 再開’, 追加するing: ‘It looks like the insidious rot of political correctness.

‘Another 広大な／多数の／重要な British 会・原則 落ちるs to the modernising 協議事項.’

In 2018, the RHS’s Chelsea Flower Show was 非難するd for 存在 a ‘really old school Britain’ with audiences not 代表者／国会議員 of multicultural society.

At the time, the RHS 認める it was ‘失望させるd by the 欠如（する） of 多様制 in the horticultural 産業’.

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