RHS Announces New Curator at RHS Garden Bridgewater

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has appointed Tracy Snell to the role of Curator at RHS Garden Bridgewater in Salford, Greater Manchester the newest of the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) five prestigious gardens.

Tracy Snell begins her new role in February having been Garden Manager, Woodland and Estate at RHS Bridgewater since October 2018, taking over from Marcus Chilton-Jones, who has held the role since January 2017. Both Marcus and Tracy have played a pivotal role in the creation and development of RHS Garden Bridgewater and its transformation from a once lost historic site into a welcoming and inspiring Garden steeped in horticultural history.

In her role as Garden Manager Tracy has led on the concept, visuals and designs for some of the key areas in the garden’s development including the Chinese Streamside Garden.

About starting her new role, Tracy says: ‘I’m excited to be given the opportunity to develop my career at the RHS. As a young garden, there is so much still to develop and maintain in terms of the horticulture on offer and how we can better connect the garden spaces to enhance the experience of our visitors which makes this such an exciting prospect. I am also keen to draw on my background in ecology and ensure biodiversity continues to be an essential part of our practices, a focus that aligns with the RHS’s Bringing Biodiversity Home theme for this year and is more important than ever.

“I’m looking forward to working with a fantastic team to ensure the garden continues to grow from strength to strength.  It’s about much more than maintaining a beautiful garden, it’s about creating one that continually evolves and inspires our visitors.”

Marcus Chilton-Jones remains at RHS Bridgewater in his new role as Head of Site, overseeing the garden’s continuing development and leading on the strategic planning of its future. 

Richard Green, Director of Visitor Experience & Estates, said: “Tracy’s wealth of experience and passion for horticulture along with her involvement in the design and creation of key areas at RHS Garden Bridgewater makes her the perfect person for the role. Her experience as Garden Manager gives her a unique understanding of Bridgewater's past, present and future and we are excited to see how she will guide the garden’s continued development.  I would also like to thank Marcus for his outstanding leadership as Curator and congratulate him on his new role as Head of Site, where his experience and knowledge will continue to be invaluable.”

Salford schools go global as headteachers forge links with Chinese education

Salford headteachers are learning from other countries on the global education stage and gaining inspiration for their own schools. 

Three Salford headteachers had an extraordinary international learning experience in China, bringing back fresh ideas and exciting opportunities for schools and communities.

Sara Walker (Westwood Park Primary), Rachel Gallagher (Clarendon Road Primary), and Michael Earnshaw (The Friars Primary) represented Salford at the 20th Jiangsu International Forum for School Principals in Yangzhou this November.

The event brought together more than 300 education leaders from across the world, focusing on Artificial Intelligence in schools and sharing best practices to shape the future of learning.

As part of the cultural exchange, the headteachers visited schools across Nanjing Province, met Chinese pupils, and experienced firsthand the incredible quality of education in China.

Each Salford school has a ‘sister school’ in China, opening doors for collaboration and friendship:
•    Clarendon Road Primary with Meiling Primary School
•    The Friars Primary with Huaiyin Experimental Primary School
•    Westwood Park Primary with Nanjing Normal University Affiliated Hanjan Experimental Primary School

Suman Education International – the organisation who supports the sister school link programme – funded the visit and plan to offer funding to more schools across Salford for future conferences. The conference will be back in China in 2027 and Suman will be running a similar programme.

Information on the organisation can be found here: http://suman.uk.com/

Clarendon Road Primary School Headteacher Rachel Gallagher said: “We really relished the opportunity to explore the education system in China and were delighted to be able to learn more.

“We’re excited to hopefully host the Chinese schools in Salford next year and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed sharing information about their visits with the staff and pupils in their schools and their headteachers in Salford."

Westwood Park Primary School Headteacher Sara Walker said: “It was a brilliant experience and already my children at school are excited to learn. I hoped to see the education system of another country and speak with fellow professionals from around the world to learn from their experiences. In the past, I had a similar experience in South Africa and it was eye opening.

“It has opened up a conversation about other countries the children are interested in. The visit combined my love of education with my love of travelling and sharing other cultures with the children at school. I very much appreciate it and will never forget it.”

The Friars Primary School Headteacher Michael Earnshaw said: “We really enjoyed our visit which was very interesting and informative. We’re looking forward to building upon this relationship in the future. We would like to thank our school governors, Salford City Council and Suman Group for the partnership which made this trip possible and for the extremely generous hospitality received for the duration of the trip."

Paul Dennett, Salford City Mayor said: “This international exchange marks a truly proud and landmark moment for Salford. Our headteachers have represented our city brilliantly, building meaningful relationships with schools in Yangzhou and across the wider Jiangsu region, and bringing back fresh insights that will enrich classrooms and communities here at home.

"This important work sits within Salford’s wider engagement with China, where we are steadily building long-term partnerships rooted in cultural exchange, shared learning and shared ambition. What our headteachers have experienced in Yangzhou demonstrates the real value of international cooperation, from seeing innovative teaching practice first-hand to forming friendships that will support collaboration for many years to come.

"We want Salford’s children to grow up with a strong sense of their place in the world, with opportunities to learn from different cultures and global approaches to education. Exchanges like this do exactly that. They broaden horizons, strengthen our city’s educational offer, and deepen the relationships we’re developing internationally. I look forward to these partnerships continuing to grow, and to seeing the benefits reach even more of our schools, young people and communities.”

Festive bin collection changes - Salford

There are some changes to your bin collection days during the festive period.

No collection will take place on: Your replacement collection date is:

Thursday 25 December 2025 Saturday 20 December 2025

Friday 26 December 2025 Saturday 27 December 2025

Thursday 1 January 2026 Saturday 3 January 2026

If your pink lidded bin or food caddy has not been emptied on your normal collection day please accept our apologies. This is due to operational staff issues over the Christmas period. Please take your bin or caddy back in and place it out again on your next scheduled collection day when we will be able to return and empty it.

Don’t forget to recycle your wrapping paper, tinfoil, bottles, cans, your Christmas tree and left-over food.

Recycling Christmas tree and recycling centre timings

How to recycle your Christmas tree

You can recycle your real Christmas tree either:

• By taking it to your local household and recycling centre.

• By chopping it into pieces and put them in your food and garden pink lidded bin - please take off the base or wooden block if your tree has one and make sure the trunk is not thicker than your wrist. Wood thicker than your wrist is too big and can’t be put in your pink lidded food and garden bin. You can take large trunks and wooden bases to your local recycling centre.

• By arranging for it to be collected and recycled by the Just Helping Charity. Go to just-helping.org.uk/register-tree for details.

Household recycling centres

Your local recycling centres will all be open except on Christmas Day (Thursday 25 December 2025) and New Year's Day (Thursday 1 January 2026) when they will be closed. Please check holiday opening times on the Recycle for Greater Manchester site before you visit:

• Brindle Heath, Cobden Street, Salford, M6 6NA

• Lumns Lane, Swinton, M27 8LN

• Boysnope Wharf, Irlam, M30 7RH

• Salford Road Recycling Centre, Salford Road, Bolton, BL5 1DG