University gardener wins title
11 June 2010
A gardener at Cambridge University has won the prestigious Young Horticulturalist of the Year Award, beating almost 2,000 other candidates to take the title.
Faye Steer, 28, trained at Pershore College and the University's Botanic Garden before taking up her current post as deputy head gardener, helping manage the 10-acre gardens of Madingley Hall, home to the University's Institute of Continuing Education. In previous attempts at the competition she reached the grand final twice, in 2005 and also last year, when she came third.
At this year's grand final, held at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, she competed against seven other regional winners to answer quick-fire questions on all areas of horticulture as well as undergoing three rounds of plant identification tests.
'I honestly didn't think I stood a chance of winning,' said Faye. 'The other competitors were so strong. It became really exciting towards the end, with all of us determined to win.'
Faye won a £2,000 grant, sponsored by the Shropshire Horticultural Society, to travel and study plants anywhere in the world. She says she wants to use it to go to China to learn about plants endemic to the Yunnan province – famous as the hunting ground of Victorian planthunters such as Frank Kingdon-Ward, George Forrest and Ernest Wilson.
The Young Horticulturist of the Year Awards are run by the Institute of Horticulture to encourage people under 30 to become involved in horticulture. For more details of next year's competition, visit www.horticulture.org.uk.
www.madingleyhall.co.uk