The Gail Bromley Award was set up to honour the late Gail Bromley MBE’s contribution to environmental education. The Award aims to support early career individuals working within outdoor and environmental education, by providing mentorship and training opportunities to support career progression.
The Award is particularly intended to support individuals working within smaller organisations, gardens or community-based projects, where access to professional networks, training and mentorship opportunities can have a significant impact on career development.
*Please note that applicants do not need to be members of BGEN to apply for the Award.
Recipients of the Award receive:
– 12 month (personal) membership of BGEN (January 2027 – December 2027)
– Access to BGEN 2027 training courses (both in person and online)
– Attendance at BGEN’s annual conference, with the opportunity to network with 200 other environmental educators from organisations such as Kew Gardens and the National Trust
– Invitation to present at BGEN’s 2027 annual conference
– Access to mentorship/support during the membership period
Eligibility criteria
Individuals wishing to apply for the Award must meet all the following criteria:
– They must be an early career professional*
– Work in a role related to environmental education, with some tie to plants and the natural world
– Currently work for an organisation related to the outdoors or environment**
* please note that early career is not defined by age, but by time spent working within the environmental education sector
** please note this does not specifically need to be botanic gardens
How to apply
This award is available to early career professionals working in outdoor environmental education who are seeking to further their career development. It is open to individuals who feel that access to the Award benefits – including BGEN membership, training opportunities, conference attendance and professional networks – would positively support their career progression.
The Award is particularly aimed at individuals working within smaller organisations, gardens or environmental education settings, where access to additional professional support and networking opportunities may have the greatest impact.
Applicants do not need to be members of BGEN to apply.
To apply, individuals should complete the application form detailing how they meet the criteria and explaining the impact that the Award would have on their professional development and future aspirations. Details of a referee who can comment on the individual’s experience and suitability for the Award are also required.
Complete The Gail Bromley Application Form
Please email your completed application forms to Samantha Bowden, BGEN Coordinator – info@bgen.org.uk
Timeline
3rd June 2026: Applications open
30th October 2026 (5pm) : Applications close
15th December 2026: Recipient of Award notified
1st January 2027: Membership and access to BGEN training and support begins
Current Award Recipient
Read about our current Gail Bromley Award recipient, Samantha Dobbie, and learn more about her work and career journey in environmental education:
Meet our Gail Bromley Award winner – Samantha Dobbie
You can also read a new article here – Finding her Tribe: How the Gail Bromley Award has supported Samantha Dobbie’s career.
About Gail
Gail began her career as a taxonomist and worked for Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, specialising in South American plant species. However, she was also a passionate advocate for education and became the driving force behind Kew’s education team, where she worked as Head of Education for many years. Gail was a founding member of BGEN, and when BGCI (Botanic Garden Conservation International) appointed their first Education specialist Gail was there to support and mentor that person in their role.
After retiring from Kew, Gail continued to work for both BGEN (as treasurer) and within BGCI as part of the education team, bringing her wealth of knowledge and connections to a variety of international education projects and acting as mentor to the education team.
Gail was an inspiration to her many friends, colleagues and associates in the world of botanical education. Combining a knowledge of plants with a love of sharing this with others she worked tirelessly to champion the cause of a better understanding of the importance of plant life to the health of our planet. She was passionate about supporting early career individuals within the outdoor environmental education sector and was a mentor to many within the botanic garden community.
