The Kent Horticultural Bursary can trace its links back over 30 years to when the Kent Nursery Stock Training Group was founded.

A number of local nurseries recognised the need for professional training and a social forum. Monthly meetings were held which were very successful with the commitment of its members.

Due to the generous support of East Malling Research Station a meeting room was always available, a link that continues to this day with EMR.

The nursery industry has always been ready to share information and it was not long before a Discussion Group was formed giving members a chance to share ideas and information to grow their businesses. These groups were very successful and all members profited with affordable training and a good social side sharing information.

With changing legislation and funding problems, the training group amalgamated with Mid Kent Training, another much larger training provider. The Discussion Group's regular meetings and visits still continued, however numbers attending these dwindled.

It was decided that monies built up in reserves should be put to a good use in the horticultural field.

The Kent Horticultural Bursary was formed to distribute these funds to worthwhile horticultural projects. It is run and supported by leading members of the horticultural community with the aim to help individuals or groups pursue related projects.