Kew Gardens marks 100,000 £1 tickets sold
Release date: 29 July 2024
- Concessions make nature more accessible to people of all ages and incomes
- 100,000 £1 tickets have now been sold to visit Kew Gardens
- Scheme extended to allow 4 additional guests £1 entry and now available to asylum applicants
- Children under 4 go free and Young Person’s ticket available for 16-29 year olds
As the school holidays begin and with sunnier days on the horizon, visitors to Kew Gardens this summer can enjoy a raft of concessions designed to offer an accessible and affordable day out in nature.
Kew Gardens has also recently marked the sale of its 100,000th £1 ticket, introduced in January 2022 as part of a new range of concessions. Available to recipients of Universal Credit, Pension Credit and other legacy benefits, Kew’s £1 ticket was introduced to make the Gardens more accessible to people of all ages, and to allow visitors of all incomes to enjoy a great day out in nature. Due to the success of the scheme, the offer has now been extended to asylum applicants with an application registration card (ARC), and £1 ticket buyers can now also bring up to four additional guests with them to Kew Gardens for just £1 each.
Kew’s £1 ticket is available year-round and allows visitors the opportunity to enjoy a spectrum of events at Kew Gardens, including the much-loved annual Orchid festival, gallery exhibitions in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art and family activities over the school holidays. The £1 ticket also allows people to soak-up year-round horticultural highlights, from spectacular spring blooms to stunning autumn colour.
Visitors who have so far benefited from the £1 ticket have shared: ‘It allows Londoners access to a large, beautiful garden which will soothe their minds, provide escape from the congested, manic metropolis and lift their spirits.’ Another visitor reflected that they will be ‘coming back again and again over summer, as it means we can afford to come and revisit’.
Sandra Botterell, Director of Marketing and Commercial Enterprise at RBG Kew, says: “I’m delighted that so many people have made use of this £1 concession so far. It’s been heartening to hear so much glowing feedback from people who have been able to access and enjoy the Gardens, benefiting from the positive impact being surrounded by nature can have on our wellbeing. It’s also been fantastic to see lots of our peer organisations adopting similar schemes to make their incredible spaces more accessible.”
Until September, visitors to one of London’s iconic UNESCO World Heritage Sites can enjoy contemporary artist Marc Quinn’s Light into Life exhibition, a new Horrible Science experience exploring the nastier side of nature, and the ever-popular Children’s Garden, an interactive space to explore everything that a plant needs to grow. On rainier days, visitors can soak up the spectacular surroundings of the Palm House, Temperate House, Princess of Wales Conservatory and Waterlily House, home to some of the world’s most enigmatic plants, including the supersized Victoria boliviana, named in 2022 as the largest waterlily in the world.
Kew’s Young Person’s ticket allows visitors aged 16 -29 and students to enjoy the Gardens for as little as £9. Children under 4 years of age can visit for free, and there are also discounted tickets available for families, seniors aged 65+ and visitors with a disability. During the summer, discounted entry is also available for visitors after 4pm.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is dedicated to harnessing the power of plants and fungi to end the extinction crisis and secure a future for all life on Earth. With Kew’s world-leading research, global partnerships, and beloved Gardens – home to the world’s most diverse collections of plants and fungi –Kew is using its trusted voice to shape policy and practice worldwide. As a charity, Kew relies on the critical support of its visitors, not only to sustain the gardens, but to protect global plant and fungal biodiversity for the benefit of our planet and humanity.
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For further information please contact: pr@kew.org
Notes to Editors
About the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world-famous scientific and horticultural institution and conservation charity, whose mission is to understand and protect plants and fungi for the wellbeing of people and the future of all life on Earth. It is internationally respected for its outstanding collections, horticultural and scientific expertise in plant and fungal diversity, conservation, and sustainable development in the UK and around the globe. Kew Gardens, with its 132 hectares of historic, landscaped gardens, is also a major attraction for international and London visitors alike. Dating back to 1759, the site has a rich history and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003. Combined visitor numbers with Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, total over 2.5 million per year. Wakehurst is home to the Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world and a safeguard against the disastrous effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. RBG Kew receives approximately one third of its funding from the UK Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils, with the remaining two thirds coming from supporters, sponsors, memberships, and commercial activity including ticket sales. This enables RBG Kew to carry out its vital scientific and educational work. For tickets and membership options, please visit our website. Since implementing a new accessibility scheme for those in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Legacy Benefits, Kew has welcomed over 100,000 visitors with £1 tickets across both UK sites.
About Wakehurst
Please note that Wakehurst is referred to just as Wakehurst, not Wakehurst Place. It is not a National Trust property.
Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex is home to the Millennium Seed Bank and over 500 acres of the world’s plants including temperate woodlands, ornamental gardens and a nature reserve. It is situated in the High Weald of Sussex, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and focuses on wild plant collections. The Millennium Seed Bank houses and protects seed from the world’s most substantial and diverse collection of threatened and useful wild plants, making it the most biodiverse place on earth.
RBG Kew receives just under half of its funding from Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils. Further funding needed to support Kew’s vital work comes from donors, membership and commercial activity including ticket sales.
In March 2021, RBG Kew launched its 10-year strategy Our Manifesto for Change 2021. The institution’s ultimate goal is step up to help to end the extinction crisis and contribute to creating a world where nature is protected, valued by all and managed sustainably. In the wake of a global pandemic, and with the future of the planet in peril, the strategy represents a public commitment by RBG Kew to do everything in its power to reverse the environmental devastation of biodiversity loss and climate change. The five key priorities are 1) Delivering science-based knowledge and solutions to protect biodiversity and use natural resources sustainably 2) Inspiring people to protect the natural world 3) Training the next generation of experts: 4) Extending our reach 5) Influencing national and international opinion and policy.
On May 25 2021 RBG Kew launched its new Sustainability Strategy – committing to become Climate Positive by 2030 and marking a step-change in our urgent action to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis.