Local tourist agency Welcome to Yorkshire (WTY) have sponsored a garden at the Chelsea Flower Show for the past 10 years, but it has been reported that the medal-winning garden host has pulled out of the Chelsea Flower Show 2020 due to budget issues.

According to The Yorkshire Post, who have reported on WTY's Chelsea budget as part of an investigation into expenses claims by senior managers, the 2019 garden cost the travel agency over three times their budget of £80,000.

This is considerable news for Chelsea as the Welcome to Yorkshire gardens – which for the past two years have been designed by Mark Gregory – have consistently picked up medals.

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Welcome to Yorkshire
Mark Gregory in the Welcome to Yorkshire garden 2019

This year, Mark and the WTY team's 2019 garden won a Gold Medal and the People's Choice Award in the Show Garden category. The design was highly commended by peers, VIPs and the public. One Chelsea visitor loved it so much they proposed to their partner on it.

The news that the sponsor will not be appearing at Chelsea 2020 has been confirmed by WTY's new chairman, Peter Box, who said that they will be spending the money on other campaigns.

Helena Pettit, RHS Director of Shows, told House Beautiful UK: "We are very sorry that Welcome to Yorkshire won’t be having a garden on Main Avenue at RHS Chelsea 2020. The team are a pleasure to work with and we hope to welcome them back in the future."

The news comes after Country Living interviewed designer Mark Gregory about his plans for Chelsea 2020 during this year's event in May. At the time, Mark said: "I’ve got some things bubbling. I won’t reveal anything now but I’m potentially committed to Welcome to Yorkshire."

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RHS
Mark Gregory’s Welcome to Yorkshire garden 2018

"Basically, what I do know is that it won't be a landscape – a garden within a landscape – this [his 2019 garden] will be the last one of those. I’ll do something quite sharp – something that, if I do for Welcome to Yorkshire, has never been seen at Chelsea before. Seriously. Really. Something beautiful but more contemporary in design – but not too contemporary."

We do not yet know who Mark will be designing for at Chelsea next year.

For all the information about the Chelsea Flower Show 2020, see here.

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Emma-Louise Pritchard
Membership Director, Country Living UK & House Beautiful UK

Emma-Louise Pritchard is the Membership Director for Country Living UK & House Beautiful UK, previously Executive Digital Editor for Country Living UK. Emma-Louise is a digital expert specialising in content strategy, social media and newsletters. Her topics include sustainability, homes and interiors, gardening, health and wellbeing, pets, travel and countryside news. She has previously written for Good Housekeeping and Cosmopolitan and has won several awards, from AOP Digital Editor of the Year 2019 to PPA 30 Under 30. Emma-Louise studied at Cardiff University where she completed an MA in Magazine Journalism.