Former Blue Peter gardener, Chris Collins will be guest judge at the Walworth Garden show in September, writes Siva Thangarajah…
The show is on September 29 at Nursery Row Park, where he will also be part of a ‘Question Time’ style panel at the show, to answer questions by the audience.
Mr Collins has appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain and BBC Breakfast, before becoming the Blue Peter gardener for nine years.
He told the News he was ‘honoured and excited’ to be part of the show.
He said: “Judging shows is never easy, but I’m excited for it. I’ve done a lot of work around community gardening, and it is one of the best ways to bring people together.”
The gardener will not only be a judge, but also hand out prizes for the best vegetable, fruit and flower.
The show will also feature a scything demonstration planned in the nearby wildflower meadow, and a giant haystack in the park.
The event is held as a series of gardening-related pop up events organised by the local Walworth Community Gardening Network to encourage community growth of gardens in the area.
A spokesperson for organisation said these events help not only to encourage people to ‘green up’ their urban spaces, but also tap into the local history of Walworth as a green area.
Historical maps from as far back as 1790 depict Walworth as a semi-rural area with kitchen gardens and other crop-growing.