how to donate

Roger Seabrook joins The David Colegrave Foundation as a new Trustee

On Monday May 23rd 2022 at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Jeff Colegrave announced that Roger Seabrook, Peter Seabrook’s son, was joining the Foundation as a new Trustee seeking to continue his Father’s work. The announcement was made on the medal winning garden display created at Chelsea Flower Show to celebrate the life of one of our founding Trustees, Peter Seabrook, who died suddenly in January this year.

Jeff Colegrave, Chair of Trustees said:

 

“It seems very fitting that today, on the Tribute to Peter Seabrook display at Chelsea Flower Show, we are honouring one of our founding Trustees. This would have been Peter’s 70th year exhibiting at Chelsea, and it gives me immense pleasure to welcome Roger as a new Trustee to our Foundation.”

Roger Seabrook joined Unilever as a graduate Finance trainee having studied Natural Sciences at university. His finance career with Unilever has taken him from the UK to roles in Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil and then back to Europe. More recently he has been in the Unilever Investor Relations team, with a particular responsibility for Sustainability.

Roger said

“I feel very proud to be invited to join the Foundation as a Trustee. Its work was very important to my father, who was a Trustee himself for 30 years, and like him I see immense value in supporting young people who want to advance themselves and develop their own careers in horticulture. This as I have been able to do myself, especially, when thinking to the future, and learning and work in environmental matters and sustainability of which Horticulture is such a key part. This is all the more important as we think to the future where we need to face a range of environmental and sustainability challenges where horticulture has a key role to play. I am really looking forward to working with the other Trustees and helping them both grow funds at the disposal of the Foundation and deploy them effectively. Increasing the scale and scope of the activities was one of the last decisions Dad was involved in at the Foundation before his sudden death in January and it is a privilege to be able to play a part in taking this important work forward.”

Outside work Roger is the trustee for a Water Meadow Trust in Oxfordshire and enjoys music, birdwatching and battling against the weeds on his allotment.

The garden display, which was created by Val Christman (who had worked with Peter for over 25 years), Molli Christman (who is apprentice gardener and past recipient of a David Colegrave Foundation scholarship) and with support from many other friends and colleagues from the Foundation and wider horticultural industry, featured strongly in the media coverage from the Press Day of the show. Molli continued Peter’s tradition of presenting the Queen with a posy of flowers – this year a bunch of the new Sweet Pea to be named ‘Peter Seabrook’. The Queen was seen on nationwide television and in a number of national newspapers smelling the scent from the beautiful lilac coloured flowers.

LIKE THIS ARTICLE?

Recent Posts

Trustees meet at Garson’s Esher

Trustees held their Autumn meeting at Garson's Esher, where they had a tour of the business from
read more

Smart Garden Products Scholarship Winners Explore the Horticultural Industry

Smart Garden Products Scholarship winners take a tour of top horticultural businesses around Spalding and Peterborough to
read more

New Horticulture Work Experience Bursary Awards Two Rising Industry Talents

Two rising talents in the horticultural industry are awarded the first Production Horticulture Work Experience Bursary.
read more