This talk and all our lectures are FREE for Friends of the Botanical Gardens to attend. Members of the public are also welcome to join us on payment of £5 at the door on the day. Live talks are held in the Education Centre in the grounds of the Botanical Gardens - easily accessed via the Thompson Road Entrance.

This talk by Alison Hunter, historian and archivist to Sheffield Botanical Gardens, will concentrate on the more recent history of the Gardens from the time that Sheffield City Council took over the management from the owners, the Sheffield Town Trust in 1951. It will also cover the formation of the Friends (FOBS) (and the contributions made by various members) and the Gardens’ Trust (SBGT) and their role in the Heritage Lottery Fund supported Restoration Project.

Alison will also look to the future, with the ongoing partnership between the City Council staff, the Town Trust, the University Landscape Department, FOBS and SBGT remaining a crucial part of the development and maintenance of the Gardens.

Alison graduated in geology from the University of Sheffield and pursued a career in geology, which took her toSouth Africa and Wyoming, USA, before returning to the UK in late 1999. She has been an active member of the Friends of the Botanical Gardens since 2000 fulfilling many important roles including garden volunteer, committee member, historian/archivist, newsletter editor, deputy chair, webmaster, photo and layout editor and most recently Trustee of Sheffield Botanical Gardens Trust. Her dedication to both the Friends and the Gardens has been recognised with the award of honorary life membership of FOBS in 2017 and the Robert Marnock Award in 2018.