About Us
Aims of the Foundation
The Foundation seeks to support the development of the ornamental horticultural industry in the United Kingdom by financing and supporting scholarships for students interested in pursuing a career in this field. Initially, this was done by supporting students at several of the major horticultural colleges in the U.K.: Pershore, Capel Manor, Hadlow, Greenmount, Writtle and Welsh College. Increasingly, however, the Foundation has made scholarships available directly to students through direct application, including several that are sponsored by major horticultural companies. Details of these can be found here.
To date, the Foundation has not provided specific support for research projects but the trustees are always willing to consider requests for grants from scientific researchers with an interest in topics relevant to the ornamental horticultural industry.
About David Colegrave
Born in 1925, David Colegrave entered the horticultural industry as a young man when he left the U.K. immediately after the war to work in Canada for the old-established Canadian seed house, McKenzie Seeds. From there, his travels took him down to the U.S. where he spent 5 years working in the flower seed production industry in California for Waller Flowerseed (a company that he would purchase in later years!), followed by another 5 years back in Europe working for Graines d’Elite Clause, the well-known French flower breeding company.
In 1962 he returned to the U.K. and started his own business specializing in the sale of flower seeds to professional growers. The introduction to the U.K. market by Colegrave Seeds of innovations such as F1 hybrids, heat-sealed foil packs and plug (young plant) production would help transform the bedding plant business into a significant industry, and turn Colegrave Seeds into a major British success story. Colegrave died in 1992, but his son, Jeff, continued to run the business until it was sold to Ball Horticultural Company, a major family-owned American business, in 2001.
During his career, Colegrave took a keen interest in supporting and promoting the development of young people, and it was with this in mind that the Foundation was launched shortly after his death. Jeff Colegrave remains one of the trustees as does John Gibson, now retired, but who joined David in his fledgling business in 1963, and Stuart Lowen, who started working for Colegrave Seeds (now Ball Colegrave) straight out of college and is now Marketing Manager.
Trustees
John Gibson: John joined Colegrave Seeds in 1963 shortly after it was formed, and remained with the company all his working career, retiring in 2001 as Seeds Director.
Brian Crosby: Brian is the owner of Old Laundry Nurseries in Cheshire and a former chairman of the British Bedding Plant Association
Peter Seabrook: Peter is a well-known horticultural writer and broadcaster
Stuart Lowen: Marketing Manager at Ball Colegrave, Stuart joined the company in 1989.
Jeff Colegrave: David’s son and the former Chief Executive of the David Colegrave Group (the family of companies of which Colegrave Seeds was a part), Jeff is now Chairman of Floranova, the Norfolk-based flower seed breeding company.
Anna Ball: Anna is CEO of the Ball Horticultural Company, a 3rd generation family-owned business and the parent company of Ball Colegrave
Adam Dunnett: Adam is Training and Development Manager for Wyevale Garden Centres, the largest independent garden centre chain in the U.K.
