Fulham Palace Trust

Opening up an oasis

Fulham Palace boasts a 13-acre free-to-enter garden, a green lung in the heart of London. It’s the second oldest botanic garden in the city, with lawns surrounded by a variety of wildlife, many old and magnificent trees, and a walled garden with organically grown fruit trees, flowers and vegetables. Fulham Palace Trust have launched Going Green, an ambitious three-year project that will open up the garden to more schools and create new learning opportunities for hundreds of young people.

We’re delighted to support Going Green with a grant for £106,892. This will fund the creation of a new greenhouse, learning space, and pond plus developing and testing new learning activities for nearly 2,500 learners aged from three to 18-years-old.

Fulham Palace reached nearly 22,863 learners in 2021-22 including 3,958 schoolchildren.
In 2021 Fulham Palace Trust launched its biodiversity and climate change policy, putting carbon reduction and environmental issues at the heart of what they do.
Since 2011 Fulham Palace has trained 20 apprentices.

Space for learning

As part of Going Green, Fulham Palace Trust will move the garden’s propagation area to a new greenhouse. This will make room for a level access space for schools and groups to gather for formal and informal learning experiences. A new pond will introduce a new habitat to the garden and provide new learning opportunities. Young people will be able to take part in a range of new nature and gardening-focused workshops designed for schools and groups.

Workshops will be free for schools and groups who wouldn’t otherwise be able to participate.

These will include looking after chickens, pond dipping and gardening on balconies. Alongside the activities we’ve funded, Going Green will also offer one new apprenticeship each year. The apprentice will push forward Fulham Palace garden’s biodiversity action plan, supported by an expert panel offering specialist advice. Thirty staff and volunteers will complete the Field Identification Skills Certificate (FISC) so they can undertake wildlife surveys

.