The Life & Times of a Gardening Editor!
From a child Geoff had always been interested in gardening, from planting wall flower seeds in a brick wall, to turning his home garden and then his neighbours garden into allotments. He pursued it as a career and became a qualified botanist but found it hard to get a job. He worked for a while as a job-in gardener doing the jobs others didn't want to do, then became a trainee at a small chain of garden centres. After only a few months he became a manager but became uncomfortable with the difference in what he was selling and what the customers wanted to buy. After moving to another garden centre which proved very successful Geoff got a job as gardening editor and his life changed again.
He started travelling across the country judging the various gardens/displays that people had entered in various magazine competitions and found himself jet-setting around the world with other journalists as a guest of some plant supplies manufacturer. Wherever he went he always had a deadline to meet and his most painful moments was waiting for others to finish their articles before an imminent publication date.
Other painful moments included turning up at EMAP presses at 4.00 am in the morning to proof check the print quality. Another one was the embarrassment of publishing the wrong dimensions in a self-build picnic bench which when assembled was usable only by children or midgets!
Our many thanks to Geoff who gave such an entertaining and uplifting presentation. His website is: