We are delighted to welcome Paul Pomfret to the Botanic Garden’s team as Assistant Director. This new role has been created to support CUBG Director Professor Beverley Glover in business and operational matters throughout the Garden. Paul will also be heading up the Audience and Enterprise team.
Beverley Glover says: “We are really excited to welcome Paul to the Botanic Garden. CUBG is one of the largest university-owned gardens in the world, supporting cutting edge scientific research and teaching here in Cambridge and around the globe. This year we’re also celebrating our 175th Anniversary and over the years we’ve seen a significant increase in visitor numbers and the enthusiasm of people wanting to learn about the science of the plants that we grow.
With increasing visitor numbers pre-COVID, coupled with the impact of lockdown on the Garden’s revenue, it’s crucial that now, more than ever, we work to secure the Garden’s future.
It has become increasingly clear over the past 18 months that the Garden has taken on a new wellbeing role in our community and we’ve received so many wonderful messages of support for having remained open during most of the pandemic. With all this in mind, it’s essential that we have in-house expertise in managing the Garden for the public facing institution it has become. With increasing visitor numbers pre-COVID, coupled with the impact of lockdown on the Garden’s revenue, it’s crucial that now, more than ever, we work to secure the Garden’s future.”
Over the past 175 years, the Garden has evolved to become a much-loved open space in the city, showcasing plants from around the world. The Garden’s plant collections consist of 8,000 species managed across 40 acres of landscaped gardens, which visitors can enjoy throughout the year.
Paul joins the Garden with a wealth of experience from a career that has included the National Trust for Scotland and the RAF Museum. He will be working to build on our current visitor experience while developing new, and improving existing, income streams.
Paul says: “I am delighted to be joining the Garden at what is an exciting time in its history. I look forward to working with the Garden’s passionate team of staff and volunteers and to supporting all their work developing and maintaining the garden, inspiring schools, and local communities, and to ensuring all our visitors have enjoyable and safe visits.”
