The most engaging stories are those that are personal – whether they tell how learning provided the skills and knowledge for a career change, or the confidence to create a dream garden or allotment from scratch. Perhaps your story is about gardening helping with your mental and physical wellbeing, or maybe you’ve discovered a shared passion and grown new friendships with like-minded learners.
For Chitra Nagarajaiah, for example, her story stemmed from a love of cooking and fresh ingredients:
“I grew up in India amongst a family of farmers. My childhood memories of food are of celebrating seasonality, eating local and eating fresh. I was inspired by my father, whose love of food meant he always sought out the highest quality ingredients that were fresh, in season and in abundance. Ironically, when growing up, I never gardened or cooked, as my dad considered these as distractions to education! Yet, it seems to have had a tremendous influence on me. For me, gardening gives me a connection to food and life. I can switch off, sweat it out, relax, meditate and be in tune with myself when gardening.
“I am not necessarily good at gardening, but I enjoy it and want to learn more! To improve my skills, I enrolled in the RHS course in horticulture, which encourages gardening amateurs and professionals alike. The course has been a valuable learning experience and exceeded my expectations. I’ve enjoyed the process of learning about things I knew so little about. I’ve loved it so much, I’m planning to do another!”
No story is right or wrong, but if you’re unsure and would like to share yours please do get in touch with us via email.
