Celebrating Five Years of Pollinating London Together
5th Anniversary Walk at Charterhouse Gardens & Lunch at Wax Chandlers’ Hall
Pollinating London Together (PLT) marked its fifth anniversary with a celebratory walk through the beautiful Charterhouse Gardens, followed by a lunch at the historic Wax Chandlers’ Hall. It was a day to reflect, reconnect, and look ahead with renewed purpose.
The event began in the tranquil setting of Charterhouse Gardens, where guests explored a living example of PLT’s mission in action. Nestled in the heart of London, the gardens have become a focal point for sustainable planting and urban biodiversity. The Charterhouse Garden team, committed to increasing biodiversity and gardening in a sustainable way, have been working with PLT to monitor and enhance the site’s value for pollinators.
As part of this, PLT have carried out pollinator and habitat surveys, providing valuable insights into the site’s current ecological status.
The surveys showed strong biodiversity scores in the courtyard gardens, affirming the success of ongoing efforts. However, Charterhouse Square, adjacent to the gardens, revealed opportunities for improvement.
In response, the team is now developing a five-year plan to enhance the square’s ecological quality, drawing on tools like plants for pollinators matrix to guide future planting and habitat improvements.
Following the walk, guests gathered for lunch at Wax Chandlers’ Hall, a fitting venue given its involvement in the start of PLT along with the Gardeners.
The elegant setting provided space not just for celebration, but for reflection on how far PLT has come since its founding.
During lunch, the Chairman offered a powerful address, recounting PLT’s achievements over the past five years—from rooftop gardens and pollinator surveys to City-wide engagement and education.
The speech also cast a hopeful eye forward, emphasising the growing network of supporters and the continued need for action across the Square Mile and beyond.
As plates were cleared and conversations continued, one thing was clear: Pollinating London Together has become a cornerstone of ecological progress in the City. With committed partners like the Charterhouse garden team, and a passionate community behind it, the seeds planted in its first five years are sure to flourish in the next.
Pollinating London Together – 5th Anniversary – Chairman’s Address
Aldermen, Masters, Wardens, distinguished guests, friends,
It’s a real pleasure to be with you in these historic surroundings as we celebrate the fifth anniversary of Pollinating London Together.
I hope you all enjoyed the tour of Charterhouse Gardens. Justin—thank you very much for hosting.
I’m sorry I couldn’t join you; I’ve just returned this morning from Nice, where I was attending and speaking at the UN Oceans Conference, supporting biodiversity and the needs of global small-scale fisheries.
Back in 2020, the Worshipful Companies of Gardeners and Wax Chandlers came together with a clear and powerful purpose: to respond to the alarming decline in pollinators—creatures upon which our food systems, ecosystems, and indeed our daily lives depend. This decline is largely driven by habitat loss and the overuse of chemicals. Not only do humans suffer the consequences, but so do birds and other animals that depend on these insects or the fruit they enable.
Flying insects have declined by almost 80% in the UK over the past 20 years—and let’s not forget that one in every three mouthfuls of food we eat depends on pollinators.
What began as a partnership rooted in tradition has evolved into a modern environmental initiative making measurable impact across the City.
Let me briefly remind you of PLT’s purpose. Our objectives are:
– To reverse the decline of urban pollinators through the creation of pollinator-friendly habitats in the City and its surroundings.
– To raise awareness of the value pollinators bring to human well-being and inspire businesses and residents alike to act.
– To promote biodiversity as a vital part of these environments.
– And to encourage companies, organisations, and individuals to actively support and maintain pollinator-friendly spaces.
It’s easy to talk about green initiatives. What sets PLT apart is that we act—and we measure those actions.
Over the past five years, we’ve completed five full seasons of habitat reviews and three years of pollinator surveys across 60 sites, each visited four times annually. That’s an incredible body of work—and I want to thank Konstantinos and his supporting researchers for their stellar efforts.
We’ve shared our findings with Greenspace Information for Greater London and the City of London Corporation. We’ve promoted citizen science and used the FIT Count app—developed by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology—in our inaugural annual pollinator count last year. We’ll be repeating this on July 17, when the Lady Mayoress will be in attendance.
The principal sponsor for this year’s count is Azad Ayub Ltd, we are most grateful to Azad, for his generous sponsorship of the Pollinator Count and for his wider support of PLT.
As with last year, we will hold a seminar, this time at the Tower of London in collaboration with the City of London Corporation. The Deputy Mayor of London will attend, and Dr Katherine Baldock—a key member of our Science Working Group—will deliver the keynote speech. We’ll also be joined by leading academics and dignitaries in the field.
We’ve advised on biodiversity planning through the City Plan 2040, helping to raise awareness of the need for a balanced mix of pollinators in urban environments.
In addition, we launched a pilot survey to explore the connection between pollinators, greenspace, and human well-being—an area receiving growing recognition.
Today, PLT is a thriving network that includes 64 livery companies, 9 corporates, and 11 non-profits. We’ve engaged with six London schools and partnered with The Trust for Sustainable Living to produce educational resources. We’ve delivered “Lunch and Learn” sessions, pollinator identification training, and netting demonstrations—hands-on experiences that bring our work to life.
I’m particularly pleased that our newest corporate member, Canary Wharf, is represented here today. they were introduced to us by my good friend and PLT patron, Sir Tim Smit of the Eden Project, who helped shape the Eden at Canary Wharf initiative. When Heather, Konstantinos, and I visited recently, we were impressed by your innovative approach to biodiversity and ecosystem management, and we look forward to developing a meaningful collaboration.
None of this would have been possible without the early vision and leadership of the Wax Chandlers and the Gardeners. As founding livery companies, your role has been instrumental—not only in advancing environmental stewardship across the Square Mile but also in strengthening the reputation and appeal of both Companies to a new generation of members.
PLT’s relevance to your values and mission is clear—and it would be a missed opportunity to let this momentum fade.
While today is a celebration of what we’ve achieved, we’re also looking ahead. Our plans for 2025 and beyond include:
– Enhancing support for cavity and ground-nesting pollinators.
– Expanding monitoring of nocturnal species such as moths.
– Deepening our understanding of the links between pollinators and human well-being.
– Building long-term partnerships with schools to foster environmental education.
– Connecting biodiversity networks in the City to those in neighbouring boroughs.
– Rolling out our well-being survey.
– And scaling our model to other UK urban centers—we’ve already begun doing so, working with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
We’re also delighted to be embarking on a new collaboration with Heart of the City, who are here with us today. Their work to help SMEs take their first steps in responsible business is truly aligned with our goals, and we look forward to supporting them in embedding biodiversity into that journey.
We are not just trying to protect nature—we are working to create a self-sustaining relationship between plants and pollinators, where ecological health is built into urban planning, business landscapes, and community life.
As always, the next chapter will depend on collaboration, commitment, and continuity.
To date, PLT has benefited from generous support—most notably from the City of London CILNF Fund, along with many livery companies, corporates, and individual donors. That support will sustain us through early 2026, but with a mandatory one-year gap before we can reapply to CILNF, the path ahead will require renewed commitment.
While today is not a direct appeal, I will simply say: this is working. It’s growing. And it would be a shame to lose the momentum we’ve all helped build.
Before I close, I want to express heartfelt thanks to some individuals and groups whose contributions have been especially important:
– Our Patron, Past Master Wax Chandler Dame Fiona Woolf, whose support has been a constant source of strength and visibility. Thank you also for your very warm welcome to Wax Chandlers’ Hall and kind words.
– Past Master Wax Chandler Sue Green, who was there at PLT’s inception, when we operated under the Wax Chandlers’ Charitable Trust.
-Also a big thank you to our vice chair and my good friend and colleague Heather who as master of the worshipful company of gardeners who along with Anthony Bickmore had the original idea of establishing the pollinator initiative.
– Alderman Alison Gowman CBE, a valued member of our Strategy Board and one of our most committed champions.
– And to our Board of Trustees, Working Group members and staff, who give their time and energy freely—your commitment is at the heart of all we do.
Let me finish by thanking all of you—not just for being here today, but for your continued support of this mission. Your encouragement, your advice, and your belief in the importance of what we’re doing have helped bring PLT to this milestone.
With your continued support—moral, strategic, and yes, financial—we can ensure that the next five years are even more impactful than the last.
Here’s to our shared legacy—and to a London where people, pollinators, and green spaces continue to thrive.
Thank you.
John Burton
Chairman
Pollinating London Together
