_2.jpg)
Thanks to funding from headline sponsor The Colegrave Seabrook Foundation, together with YPHA, The GCA Trust and the British Ornamentals Association, YPHA has been able to make a level of professional leadership development that would normally be beyond the reach of many horticultural businesses accessible to employers across the industry. The subsidy has been designed particularly to support smaller and independent businesses, helping ensure access to leadership development is not determined by the size of an employer's training budget.
Developed specifically for YPHA members who already hold management responsibility, the programme has been designed to equip emerging leaders with the confidence, practical skills and professional network needed to lead teams more effectively.
Delivered by leadership specialist Lindsay Muir of Cedar Associates, the programme combines structured management training with practical discussion, self-reflection and peer learning, all tailored specifically to the ornamental horticulture industry. Delegates will develop skills in strategic planning, communication, coaching, people management, accountability and personal effectiveness while learning alongside managers from across the industry.
YPHA's Natalie Boynton, programme lead, said: "One of the biggest successes of the first programme wasn't just the quality of the training, it was the people in the room. Bringing together managers from different businesses, sectors and backgrounds created conversations that challenged people's thinking and gave everyone new ideas to take back into their own workplace. Delegates repeatedly told us that learning alongside people from completely different businesses gave them the confidence to have much more open and honest conversations than they'd experienced on previous management courses, and the network they've built has continued long after the programme finished.
"We were determined to protect that for the second cohort. We want growers, retailers, landscapers, manufacturers and every other part of horticulture represented, because when you bring together people with different experiences, everyone leaves with better ideas than they arrived with."
COMMENT: YPHA's Nat Boynton
"The Colegrave Seabrook Foundation are delighted to be the headline sponsor of the YPHA’s Management Training programme for a second year. This is an incredible opportunity for individuals to participate in a really first class management training programme, led by the brilliant Lindsay Muir, and for employers to have a member of their team receive some of the best value management training imaginable, £650 for 9 days high quality management training, you would be mad not to put forward a member of your team who shows promise but possibly needs those additional management skills building into their skill set and to be given the confidence and licence to excel. From what I saw of last years cohort, anyone who attends this training will benefit massively, potentially life changing for the individual and the most profitable £650 their employer will spend this year! The Colegrave Seabrook Foundation’s remit is to help support the future horticulturalists and horticultural leaders of the future, and I don’t think I’ve been involved in anything in my 15 years as a trustees the exemplifies this better than the YPHA Management training programme. Don’t delay, sign up today!’ Adam Dunnett CSF Trustee & Hillier Nurseries Director."
Applications close at 8.00pm on Friday 21 August 2026, with successful applicants being
notified before the end of August. For further information, or to request the information pack and application form, please contact admin@ypha.org.uk.
