Your Pension IS Your Future

Perennial highlights 37% of people in horticulture scared to look into their pension.

Saving for the future isn’t always easy, especially if you are self-employed or have variable income levels throughout the year. Perennial, the charity for everyone in the horticulture industry, is encouraging people to think about what will happen to their income in retirement and make a plan for the future.  

Our latest research* with people in horticulture highlighted that 37% said they were scared to look into their pensions, either because they have not paid into a pension at all or have only done so when they can afford it. Without regular contributions to top up the state pension, such as an employer scheme or a private pension, people may find themselves in financial difficulty when they stop working.   

Our ‘Your Pension IS your Future’ campaign features three tailored and interactive webinars for people at different stages of their career in horticulture, as well as additional downloadable materials. Each webinar is free and has been developed for Perennial with the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) and will be delivered by pension specialists from MoneyHelper: 

Planning for Retirement for the over 50’s - Wednesday 29th April 12.30 - 13.30
This webinar is for people approaching retirement, and will outline what practical steps you should be taking now and what you need to be considering to plan for a comfortable retirement including: budgeting for retirement, an explanation of the State Pension system, options for accessing pensions and information on tracing pensions and how to avoid pension scams.  

Pension Planning for self-employed – Wednesday 6th May 12.30 - 13.30  
This webinar is suitable for anyone who is, or has been, self- employed and will explain the advantages of saving into a pension. This includes how tax relief will usually boost your savings and how to start a pension scheme.  

Retirement Planning for the under 50’s - Wednesday 13th May 12.30- 13.30 
This webinar will cover why it’s never too soon to start planning for your retirement, practical steps on what you need to do when it comes to pensions and why you need to pay attention to yours. 

To sign up to the webinar that is most relevant to you visit perennial.org.uk/pensions.
A helpful Pension Fact Sheet and Jargon Buster are also free to download.  

Helen Waddington, Director of Services says "People working in horticulture can face a unique set of challenges; seasonal work - especially if you're self-employed - physical demands with risk of injury, periods of isolation and potential financial uncertainty. These can all make saving for the future difficult and it may not always be possible.  However, contributing to a pension is essential, as the basic State Pension alone is unlikely to provide enough income for a comfortable retirement. That’s why we are launching this campaign, to give everyone working in horticulture access to free, practical, and easy to understand information about pensions. We hope to encourage people to think about what their income might look like when they stop working and what steps they can take today to secure a more comfortable retirement."  

To find out more about this campaign and to access our free resources visit perennial.org.uk/pensions.

* Source: Financial Benchmarking, Perennial Online Panel research, Summer 2025