Volunteer group Friends of Bedfords Park Walled Garden (FOBPWG) was presented with a King’s Award for Voluntary Service – equivalent to an MBE – earlier this month.
Lois Amos, a retired horticultural lecturer from Collier Row, was the driving force behind the rejuvenation of the historic walled garden at Bedfords Park, Havering-atte-Bower, in the 2000s and 2010s.
Lois being presented with the award by Deputy Lieutenant Nick Bracken OBE (Image: Taylor Smyth-Richards)
She said she “just couldn’t believe it” when she found out about the award, adding that it recognised “years of battling behind the scenes” to open the garden to the public.
“We are all very proud of this achievement,” Lois told the Recorder.
“Now we’ve got the King’s Award, which is equal to an MBE, there is nothing higher we can aspire to.”
As part of the award, Lois and her husband Bill, who also volunteers at the garden, have been invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace on May 7 – which Lois described as “unbelievable”.
The Georgian walled garden was previously left derelict before FOBPWG started working behind the scenes to resurrect it from 2004, eventually securing a National Lottery grant in 2011.
Since then the group has grown to 27 volunteers, who offered around 10,000 voluntary hours of work last year, Lois estimates.
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As well as recognising the effort volunteers have put in to grow the garden, the King’s Award also recognises the cultivation of a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs, such as apricots, peaches and kiwi.
Lois said: “It’s wonderful.
“We get people coming to visit us who say we rival a National Trust garden.
“It’s a very special place, and I think people come in and they really do appreciate the volunteers.
“That’s probably why we did attain the award, the fact that we are entirely made up of volunteers – and that’s quite rare.”
FOBPWG were presented with the award by Deputy Lieutenant Nick Bracken OBE on April 3, with Romford MP Andrew Rosindell also present at the ceremony.
