The Cornwall Garden Society (CGS) offers an annual bursary fund of £5,000 in the name of Pat and Margaret Wells. 

The deadline for applications for 2023 has been brought forward to Sunday 30th October 2022 so that decisions can be made in November and bursaries can be awarded in December to benefit successful applicants during the following year. 

The aim of The Pat and Margaret Wells Bursary is to support those studying or intending to study horticulture at educational establishments in Cornwall on a full- or part-time basis, or in apprenticeships or other horticultural-related employment in the Duchy. 

"Anyone who lives, works or studies in Cornwall is eligible to apply," explains CGS Chairman, Sir Robert Owen.

"Applicants are invited to provide a one-page CV summarising their qualifications, horticultural and/or other experience, current occupation or activity, and any other relevant points, as well as a clear indication of the amount of financial support they require and the specific purpose for which it is intended." 

Applications should be emailed to [email protected] by the new deadline. 

This bursary has been established by Clare, Helen, and Brendan Wells in memory of their late mothers. It is administered by the CGS in conjunction with the donors.  

Pat and Margaret Wells were, in turn, the wives of Paddy Wells, the late father of Clare, Helen, and Brendan. Pat and Margaret shared a passion for gardening. 

Pat was the gifted amateur with the trained painter's eye for all that blooms. 

Pat Wells - image provided by family

Margaret, who lived and gardened in Cornwall for many years, was a trained horticulturalist. She scooped prize after prize for her gardens, which were often sculpted from barren earth and coaxed to spectacular maturity. Margaret was a CGS member from 1978 until her death in 2018. She won the Knibbs Memorial Cup at the CGS Spring Flower Show in 1981 and 1982 as well as prizes from Kerrier District Council for the beautiful garden she created at Little Antron in Mabe Burnthouse. 

Margaret Wells - image provided by family

"This bursary has been established to support anyone who faces disadvantage in the pursuit of a career in horticulture, for whatever reason, and who seeks financial assistance in relation to course fees, travel expenses, or other study- or work-related expenditure," adds Sir Robert Owen.

"We are immensely grateful to Clare, Helen, and Brendan Wells for their generosity in establishing this bursary in memory of their mothers to provide much-needed support for horticulturalists in Cornwall and we hope to attract a wide range of applications."

Bursaries may be awarded to a total of £5,000 in a calendar year, provided that, save in exceptional circumstances, no grant of more than £2,000 will be made to any individual applicant. 

Speaking on the family's behalf at a recent event to celebrate bursary recipients in 2022, Clare Wells said: "Our mothers, Pat and Margaret, will be very happy in their new-found Eden, knowing that they are helping to encourage more people into horticulture. 

"Born in the 1920s, they both wished to study it themselves but never had the chance. We decided to offer a helping hand to up-and-coming gardeners by covering horticultural-related expenses, which this year ranged from travel costs to the Chelsea Physic Garden and the Eden Project for work experience, a chainsaw qualification, aspects of an important tree project, and a Royal Horticultural Society course. We are looking forward to receiving and reviewing applications for 2023."