Camellia Festival Seeks Volunteers

For popular event next spring at Chiswick House

The annual Chiswick House Camellia Festival is so popular that extra volunteer Conservatory stewards are now needed for the 2013 event. The Festival will take place from 16 February to 17 March.

Built for the 6th Duke of Devonshire, their Conservatory celebrates its 200th anniversary next year and houses an internationally acclaimed Camellia collection, thought to be the oldest Camellia collection under glass in The West. Now an annual event in the national gardening calendar, the Festival is a major visitor attraction attracting around five thousand visitors to Chiswick’s fabulous flowering Camellias. The eventalso raises much needed funds to support the upkeep of the gardens.

The Festival would not be possible without the support of the team of Conservatory Stewards. They man the Conservatory throughout the event, welcoming and guiding the public and staffing the small plant shop. 

If you have good communication skills, enjoy learning and like meeting people and are able to volunteer for a minimum of a morning or afternoon each week during the Festival, they would be pleased to hear from you. You do not need to have any horticultural knowledge but a passion for plants and flowers would be an advantage.

Training
Training will take place during the afternoons of Wednesdays 16, 23, 30 January and 06 February and will include talks on the history of the Conservatory area, the history of the Camellias and how to grow and care for them.

To express your interest in becoming a Camellia Festival Conservatory Steward please email Volunteer Manager, Louise Randall at louise.randall@chgt.org.uk by Monday 10 December.

November 30, 2012