Lesley Ottey
Diploma in Horticulture Lincoln college 1986
Adult teaching certificate, CHCH teachers college 1995
Police clearance and references available on request

I have a wide and varied work history in horticulture having worked in the following areas;
Market gardens, apricot orchards, gardener on private estate in UK, school gardener, council gardener, garden centres, propagation, tutoring.

In fact to date 25 years experience, bit scary getting that number.

Tutoring and sharing the skills is my real passion and after a period of working in garden centres and enjoying the people contact I had an opportunity to work at Van asch college, deaf education centre, this really sowed the desire to want to tutor and led me into a job of tutoring through the TOPS education programmes, which help challenging teens and long term unemployed gain skills for employment

I also tutor through the continuing education programme of our local high school
I love to see people achieve and believe there is no price to be put on the feeling of self satisfaction and achievement

Cam, Calum, Alex, Claire, Luc and Leo
My guinea pig group.
New ideas and products are run past this group of budding gardeners. They provide a sounding board and testing ground for whether programmes and things will work, and having a wide age range from 3 to 40 something they provide much inspiration and keep me grounded and stop me getting too technical with the info

Sow and grow was developed as I went in and out of preschools with my other business and saw a need for some basic garden help and advice and some real life skills

Our aim is to make gardening fun, easy and affordable