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Brighton Gardener Receives Royal Honour
31 May 2007
Blue Peter gardener Chris Collins, who studied horticulture at City College Brighton and Hove, has been chosen as this year's recipient of the prestigious Prince Philip Medal. This esteemed accolade is awarded by His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in his role as President of leading work-related awarding body City & Guilds. The official presentation was made recently at St James's Palace. Chris was chosen as the recipient of this year's award in recognition of his impact on the horticultural industry which he went into as a teenager.
Chris says:
Chris Collins with Prince Philip and with former tutor Jim Miller
'It was a mind-blowing day. To receive the Prince Philip Medal is a huge honour and I'm grateful that the City & Guilds qualification I got at City College helped start me on my way.'
'Discovering a passion for gardening at City College back in the early 80's changed everything for me which is why I wanted my old tutor Jim Miller to be with me when I received the Medal. Before I got into gardening, I was quite wayward and rebellious so it was horticulture that got me on the straight and narrow! I'll always consider myself a Brighton boy and I love coming back to visit my hometown as often as possible. It's especially important for me to put back something on the gardening side so I always keep in touch with the College and try to pass on whatever advice I can to the new generation of horticulture students.'
Jim Miller, City College's Subject Area Manager in Horticulture, says:
'It was a great privilege to be with Chris and attend the ceremony at St. James's Palace. We spotted his potential all those years ago so it's fantastic to see his talent being rewarded with a major honour like this.'
After a post-College stint as a landscape gardener, Chris took his Royal Horticultural Society General Examination in 1989 and passed his Diploma in Horticulture while working at the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens in 1993. The next stop for Chris was Tokyo University, where he gained a Masters Diploma in Horticulture, followed by a position with the Limbe Botanic and Zoological Gardens in Cameroon. During his long and varied career, Chris has also worked at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew and been employed as head gardener at Westminster Abbey.
Chris's first television appearance was on BBC series, The Plantsman and he also filmed four series of Garden Rivals for UK Style, Garden Invaders for the BBC and is a regular presenter from Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows.
City & Guilds Director General Chris Humphries says:
'Chris is a worthy recipient of the 2007 Prince Philip Medal. The dedication he has shown to his profession and his determination to ensure he remains at the top of his game by constantly updating his skills with new qualifications embodies the spirit of people this award was designed for. Moreover, the fact that he has used his City & Guilds qualifications as a springboard on to bigger and better things, including working overseas and branching out into the media, means he is a great role model for people just starting out in the industry.'
For media enquires, please call Brian Bell on 01273 667788 Ext. 488 or email bb1@ccb.ac.uk.
About City College Brighton and Hove: Founded over 100 years ago, City College Brighton and Hove has become an international centre of excellence. Every year over 2,000 full-time and 13,000 part time students as well as many international and European students choose City College as their education provider. The College provides training to over 2,000 businesses and has a 'City Business Skills' department which focuses on employers' needs. Offering over 650 courses from basic level to pre-University level, City College is working with its partners to develop the workforce of the future.
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