Garden Media Guild Awards Lunch 2023
Friday 17 November was a day of brilliant sunshine in London … and for me it ended a high note at the Garden Media Guild (GMG) awards lunch at The Savoy. I was surprised and honoured to become the latest recipient of the GMG’s Lifetime Achievement Award, now renamed the Outstanding Contribution Award (sponsored by Westland Horticulture).
What could be better to hold in the mind, going forward, than a quiz-like citation from an old friend aka ‘Queen of the Herbs’, Jekka McVicar, as well as the warm, whooping, clapping and standing ovation from my lovely colleagues and friends in the garden media and horticultural industry. Truly magical, delightful, overwhelming and I am still aloft on Cloud 9, a week later.
Writing about gardens, gardening people, well-behaved and unruly plants, edible and aromatic herbs, luscious fruit and delicious vegetables, as well as getting out into my own garden, is the fuel that keeps me going. It is so good to be have this award to reinforce the daily enjoyment and delight that gardening and writing offer me.
And it was a total surprise - the Guild is good at keeping this Award a secret from its recipients, among whose number I am so proud to be. So I was speechless and tongue-tied. This is what I would have said if I could have found my voice:
“Thank you Garden Media Guild for nominating me and thank you to all in the room for the rousing and heart-warming way you received this news. It was only when @jekkamcvicar said in her lovely words ‘that this person loved pugs’ that I knew I was the recipient of the award! Thank you to garden media friends, colleagues and all the wonderful garden owners who have invited me through their garden gates to discover the beauty of their gardens! I really am a garden-nosey person! How delightful to be able to call this work!
“Thank you so much for the overwhelming support and love that you offered. Overwhelmed and dazzled but in a good way! Thank you!
“It was lovely to arrive with Ade Sellars (who won The Beth Chatto Environmental Award) and Lucy Chamberlain (@headgardenerlc) whose company was so delightful!
“What a great bunch of wonderful people you are in the world of garden communicating! My tribe! Thank you for giving me the best day, showing me the love in the room and particularly to @jekkamcvicar for lovely words and surprising me totally! Thank you Mike Palmer (GMG Chair) and Alexandra Campbell (GMG Vice Chair) and the committee for a superb event. And to my friend Manoj Malde for being such a top-class presenter!”
It is a huge privilege to be able to add my name to this list of the previous winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award, now Outstanding Contribution Award, which is awarded to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the garden media over a number of years: 1993 Peter Seabrook; 1994 Fred Whitsey; 1995 Graham Stuart-Thomas; 1996 Rosemary Verey; 1997 Christopher Lloyd; 1998 Beth Chatto; 1999 Penelope Hobhouse; 2000 Geoff Amos; 2001 Jerry Harpur; 2002 Roy Lancaster; 2003 Joy Larkcom; 2004 Alan Titchmarsh; 2005 Dr David Hessayon; 2006 Geoffrey Smith; 2007 Ken Muir; 2008 Michael Warren; 2009 Peter Beales; 2010 Andrew Lawson; 2011 John Brookes & Nigel Colborn; 2012 Jekka McVicar; 2013 Stefan Buczacki; 2014 Christopher Brickell; 2015 Adrian Bloom; 2016 Jim McColl; 2017 Richard Jackson; 2018 Gary Rogers; 2019 Carol Klein; 2020 Anna Pavord; 2021 Graham Rice and 2022 Michael Marriott.
From Cloud 9 … to an autumnal garden near me!
PS: I didn’t win the Award for the Digital Gardening Writer … Val Bourne was the worthy winner of that category for her work on the Hartley Botanic Magazine.
I had the best day, though!
Thank you Jacky.... it is a wonderful list and I feel so privileged to be among those names.
SO well deserved and such a popular award too - congratulations to you