As part of his role as board member of the Horticultural Trades Association, Mike gave a keynote address to parliamentarians at a dinner in Westminster on Monday. Hosted by the Industry and Parliament Trust to mark the beginning of RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the dinner brought together MPs, industry leaders from various sectors, and HTA representatives to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing SMEs in contributing to national environmental goals.

Many people say that the scale of the environmental and sustainability challenge is so great, that they don’t know where to start. Mike believes that it doesn’t matter where we start, but that it is important to take a first step, so collectively we can all make a big difference.

Having the opportunity to take that message, the voice of horticulture, to the heart of Westminster and speak about how small businesses can support nature and the environment, was a privilege. The more parliamentarians and policymakers can understand environmental horticulture and the challenges, innovation, and importance of small businesses like ours, the better. We are looking forward to this being the start of conversations and hope more businesses will speak up and engage with MPs on the issues they face.

Picture caption: Ian O’Donnell from Federation of Small Businesses, Toby Perkins MP, and Mike Burks.