2017 National Trust Plant Records, Alison Crook & Pam Smith

Pdf and slides from the 2017 Plant Records Group Meeting at Mount Stuart.

Alison Crook, National Trust Plant Collections Curator.

After a career managing large IT projects in a banking environment, Alison decided to step off the bandwagon and take a

breather. While meandering about the UK and Ireland looking for inspiration, she found herself increasingly drawn to gardens, and after a year of horticultural training with the National Trust at Knightshayes she is now marrying her IT and process-change skills with my newfound love of plants. She is based at the Trust's Plant Conservation Centre (which propagates rare and special plants for all of our properties), she works on plant records, labelling, databases, and new systems and approaches for the future.

Pam Smith, Garden and Parks Adviser National Trust, Midlands Region.

Pam has worked in horticulture for over 30 years and trained in horticulture via a YTS programme in Bangor and an OND at Askham Bryan College. In 2000 Pam gained a PG Diploma with the Architecture Association in Conservation and Management of Historic Landscapes. Her career started in public parks in NE England followed by 8 years as Director of the University of Birmingham Botanic Garden. She later worked as a freelance horticultural and heritage consultant before taking up the National Trust role in 2011. Pam was Vice Chair of PlantNetwork before taking up the part time role of PlantNetwork Administrator.