Sir Harold Hillier Gardens and Arboretum (SHHG) were left by Sir Harold under the sole trusteeship of Hampshire County Council during 1977 and were registered as a charity on 12 January 1978 (number 274737). The County Council’s Leader and Executive Member for Policy and Resources, Councillor Roy Humby is responsible for approving the strategic decision-making for the Trust. The Leader delegates day-to-day responsibility for the Gardens to the Director of Universal Services, Patrick Blogg, Assistant Director of Recreation, Information and Business Services, Jo Heath and the Director of the SHHG, Clare Goddard.

The Trust is governed by the Arboretum Trust Board (acting as the Executive) which comprises the Leader, the Chairman of the Advisory Committee and the Director of Hampshire County Council’s Universal Services. The Trust Board and the SHHG are supported by an eminent group of advisers mostly with interest and expertise in the field of horticulture, gardens, plant collections and the charitable sector. All support the SHHG with their time and expertise, providing valuable guidance and advice.

President

Her Majesty The Queen

Patron

Roy Lancaster VMH, CBE

Trustee

The sole trustee, Hampshire County Council, has provided a significant level of financial support to the SHHG since 1977. This enabled the size of the Garden to increase to 180 acres and included the completion of a range of capital projects. This has also enabled the potential of the collection to be maximised for education, recreation, and conservation purposes. What started as a private plant collection with a few hundred visitors has been made accessible to a wide range of visitors from all over the world.

Today it provides an excellent facility which normally attracts around 250,000 annual visitors, including over 15,000 formal education visits. The SHHG and plant collection has also grown, boasting some 42,000 plants of over 12,500 taxa and 14 national plant collections set in a complementary mixture of formal and informal landscapes and feature gardens such as one of Europe’s largest winter gardens. The significance of the collection is recognised by a Grade II listing in English Heritage’s Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.

Related parties and co-operation with other organisations

The County Council, as sole trustee, is a key related party to SHHG and is responsible for the control, administration, and financial management of the SHHG. As a Local Authority, the County Council has in place control frameworks for risk management, internal control and governance, the adequacy and effectiveness of which are subject to annual evaluation by both external and internal audit. As the sole trustee, the County Council allows SHHG to benefit from the use of these control frameworks, including the use of support services including internal audit, banking, financial reporting, and employment practice advice, for which an annual charge is made to the Gardens.

Donations and bursaries

The Gardens rely upon an increasing range of organisations and individuals to carry out its programmes and developments. The development of the Gardens in the past decade would not have been possible without the generosity of individuals, organisations, trusts and foundations and other fundraising activities and events.

We give a special thanks to Lord Sainsbury who was a patron of The Gardens and a long-standing supporter until his death in January 2022. His contribution to The Gardens was transformational and included active support for the creation of the Centenary Border which brings so much pleasure to our visitors all year round.