MAY DAY AND GARDENING

That this House recognises the importance of the May Day Bank Holiday to the UK's 3,000 garden centres and the growers that supply them; further recognises that garden centres rely heavily on trade during bank holiday weekends in the spring season to ensure the sustainability of their business; notes that many garden centres in the UK are small businesses providing valuable jobs in both urban and rural areas; further notes the invaluable contribution that garden centres make to the environment, the lives of their local communities and the Big Society in general; further notes a recent Populus poll in which 78 per cent. of people questioned did not want the May Day holiday to be moved, as well as 77 per cent. of people who said they viewed the May Bank Holiday as a good time to garden; and therefore calls on theGovernment to retain the May Bank Holiday.