Alan Titchmarsh makes special appearance as Harrogate charity Horticap celebrates its 40th birthday

Located at Bluecoat Wood Nurseries, Horticap opened in 1984 and has since blossomed, providing adults with learning and other disabilities training in horticulture, crafts and rural skills.

It all started in a muddy field with an old van and just a handful of students, but over the decades it has flourished, with some of the original students still there today.

Alan Titchmarsh, gardener, broadcaster and TV presenter, is a patron of Horticap and was in attendance on Wednesday (April 3) to help the charity celebrate its 40th birthday.

As part of the celebrations, Alan handed out an array of awards to the students, along with His Majesty's Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Jo Ropner, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, BBC Look North reporter Amanda Harper and President of the National Allotment Society Phil Gomersall.

Speaking to BBC Look North, Alan said: “40 years is a long time and I have been a patron for about 20 of them and to watch them grow this nursery has been a delight as it’s such valuable work that they do.

"It's one of those organisations that really does repay all of our efforts to show what a valuable thing gardening and horticulture is.”

Horticap is marking its anniversary year with a diary full of celebratory and fundraising events, including a 40th anniversary garden display at both the Harrogate Spring Flower Show and the Great Yorkshire Show and a Garden Party in July.

Speaking to BBC Look North, Phillip Airey, Operations Manager at Horticap, added: “It’s super exciting that we've got to 40 years old.

"We're just super proud of what our students have achieved and what they then take back home and back into the community and that's what's so special about Horticap."

For more information about Horticap, visit https://www.horticap.org/