Marsh Charitable Trust – Marsh Volunteer Awards for Grow Wild Projects

Marsh Volunteer Awards for Grow Wild Projects – Youth Projects

Grow Wild, Kew in partnership with communities across the UK

Grow Wild is the national outreach programme of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, working in partnership with communities across the UK. Grow Wild contributes to Kew’s mission to understand and protect plants and fungi for the wellbeing of people and the future of all life on Earth. By focusing on UK native plants and fungi, Grow Wild helps to raise awareness of their decline, habitat loss and importance to biodiversity, whilst fostering community connections and wellbeing.

Youth Projects

Grow Wild provides grants and support to young people across the UK to deliver inspiring projects, championing UK native plants and fungi.

These awards recognise three exceptional young people who have each been nominated by their local supporting organisation.

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Jessica Thomas, Jade Jones, and Shaun Reader

Jessica Thomas

Jessica has shown incredible initiative and leadership in bringing people together through nature. She not only takes part in her community garden but creates opportunities for others to learn and connect, bridging generations and inspiring new volunteers to get involved.

This year, Jessica led a community event to raise awareness about the importance of bees, organising expert talks and activities that brought adults and children together. She also ran her own fungi-growing project, arranging training, sourcing materials, and teaching others how to cultivate mushrooms at home. Through her creativity and dedication, Jessica has built projects that will continue to benefit her community for years to come.

Jade Jones

Jade continuously demonstrates her warmth, energy, and passion for helping people engage with nature. Her work at Roots Allotment in Croydon has brought together first-time growers, fostering confidence, learning, and belonging.

She brings people of all ages and backgrounds together through her inclusive and creative approach to nature-based education. Her mud kitchen project embodies her vision for accessible, community-led spaces where everyone can learn, grow, and connect.

Jade’s leadership, adaptability, and commitment to sustainability shine through everything she does. She not only dreams of positive change she makes it happen, inspiring others along the way.

Shaun Reader

Shaun’s journey over the past year has been truly inspiring. He has found his voice gaining confidence, self-awareness, and a strong sense of leadership.
He has stepped up to support others, helping his team resolve challenges with empathy and respect, and showing real growth in his ability to set boundaries and guide his peers.

From mastering practical tasks like mushroom inoculation to advocating for his ideas and contributing to new projects, Shaun has proven his dedication, kindness, and courage. His confidence continues to grow, and he is now inspiring others by leading with compassion and positivity.

Previous Winners

Shauna Nixon, Mili Heath and Edward Douglas

Shauna Nixon

As leader of the Benfieldside Youth Community Gardening Project in County Durham, Shauna has poured her heart into building a community garden that brings people together. She’s created a space for young people to connect with nature, and she leads by example, doing everything from planting to weeding. Shauna mentors younger children, making sure they feel welcome and involved. She’s even brought in local businesses to support the project, organising a corporate volunteer day, to expand what the garden can offer.

Mili Heath

Mili is part of a group of students who have created a ‘Land of Fungi’ at their school, transforming the pathway connecting their sensory garden and pond into a colourful woodland area where they are growing wildflowers and mushrooms. Mili has a talent for bringing people together, creating a warm, inclusive environment where everyone feels valued. She always notices if someone might feel left out and steps in to make sure they’re part of the team. For example, she ensured that a friend who uses a wheelchair could participate fully in a planting activity. Even though Mili doesn’t love the spotlight, she stepped up to present for her classmates at a fungi assembly, showing both courage and growth.

Edward Douglas

Edward has shown incredible dedication to his Youth Planters for Nature project, leading his Youth Action Committee with positivity and determination. He keeps his team engaged with regular updates, creating a space where everyone feels empowered to share ideas. Edward has also reached out to local councils and landowners, securing resources for the project, and persevered through setbacks. His promotion of the project through Surrey Nature magazine and social media has helped ensure that his team’s impact is widely recognised.