President's Event 2007

Speakers

Timothy Walker

Timothy joined the staff of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden in 1980 as a trainee gardener and he is currently the Director. The post involves a mixture of teaching, administration, begging and curating the NCCPG national collection of euphorbias, but no gardening - this happens at weekends in his wife's garden - if allowed.

In 1997 Walker was elected to the Ernest Cook Lecturership in Plant Conservation at Somerville College, Oxford.

He has visited North Yorkshire, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Australia, Seychelles, South Africa, Canada and America in search of plants growing in their habitats

Timothy Walker

Rosie Atkins

Rosie has been Curator at Chelsea Physic Garden for over five years. This year the Garden is having a exhibition to celebrate the tercentenary of Carl Linnaeus, the Father of Taxonomy who was born in 1707 and visited Chelsea Physic Garden in 1736.

Rosie launched and edited the magazine Gardens Illustrated for over ten years.  Before that she worked for The Sunday Times for 15 years, the last seven on the Sunday Times Colour magazine.  Previously she worked on the Insight team and on foreign news.

She is on the board of the charity Gardening for the Disabled and is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society's Horticultural Board and judges for the RHS Woody Plant Committee.

She recently wrote the foreword to the Encyclopedia of Herbs published by Rodale

Rosie Atkins

Mike Cullen - The Gardening Chef

"The only F-word you'll hear in my kitchen is Fairtrade."

Mike is a freelance demonstration chef.  He lives in the Derbyshire Dales where he specialises in growing herbs for culinary uses.  His road-show, The Herb Garden - Making a Meal of it, after which his recipe book is titled, has travelled all over the country.  In this, he talks about the history, legends and uses of herbs.

He is also the Fairtrade Chef for the Co-operative Group and is on the Peak District Cuisine steering committee, a group dedicated to promoting local products.  He has written a number of articles including a monthly series for Kitchen Garden Magazine, and has appeared on NW TV and BBC Gardeners' World Live.

Mike Cullen