Dr Ruth Taylor
Head of Education, The Royal Horticultural Society

Dr. Taylor joined the RHS, from the National Trust, in June 2006.

She is responsible for a staff of 23 covering a wide range of educational activities within the Society including school and family learning, outreach, qualifications, horticultural trainees and short courses.

She began her career at the National Trust in 1994 as an Interpretation Officer in the Wessex region and then moved to the central team as a Learning Advisor in 2002. She was responsible for educational publications including new style family guides, learning website, writing a successful HLF bid for £500,000 for the restoration of the Serpentine Lake and cascades at Prior Park, and supporting major interpretation projects at Tyntesfield, Dinefwr and Stonehenge.

Prior to the National Trust, Dr. Taylor managed the Discovery Centre at the Natural History Museum and was Education Officer at the Chelsea Physic Garden, where she set up the education service and promoted it to schools as well as working on interpretation in the garden. She is Chair of the Association for Heritage Interpretation, a Chartered Biologist and contributed to the establishment of the Botanic Gardens Education Network, of which the RHS is a member.

Ruth has joined the RHS at an exciting time and looks forward to the opening of the new RHS Bicentenary Glasshouse and Learning Centre at RHS Garden Wisley in summer 2007, as well as taking forward plans for a new education center at RHS Garden Harlow Carr. Both of which are great opportunities to provide a rich learning experience for a diverse audience, to help deliver the RHS’s charitable educational aims.