RHS boss who played pivotal role in choosing Worsley for national garden is to step down

The woman who did more than most to change the Royal Horticultural Society's image from fusty to modern is to step down. Straight-talking, Sue Briggs played a key role in the decision to open the Society's fifth national garden in Greater Manchester.

Now she will officially retire as Director General of the RHS on June 14th at its annual general meeting at RHS Bridgewater in Worsley, which she helped to create. She has held the post for almost 12 years.

The garden has brought both kudos and tourists to Salford from across the country. But it has also fulfilled Sue's pledge that it would be an asset for the local community.

She was determined the slightly snooty image of the RHS changed with RHS Bridgewater. "We don't want to be seen as the scary RHS - we want to help different communities", she told the Manchester Evening News.

"It makes me so sad to hear children who don't understand how their food grows, they have never got their hands dirty in soil. It will be wonderful to bring thousands of school children into a garden and playing in nature - nothing is more inspiring than that."

When it was announced that the overgrown land of the former Worsley New Hall, off Leigh Road, had been chosen for the garden in 2015, Sue said: "We always thought it would take us a long time to find the ideal site for our fifth garden, but with its beautiful landscapes, good public transport links, and outstanding location Worsley New Hall was an opportunity we couldn't miss."

In a statemen the RHS said: "Sue has modernised and gown the RHS and leaves a much stronger charity with record membership numbers, that is more inclusive and broader based as well as more financially robust."

In this month's "The Garden" magazine, published by the