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Young
Horticulturist of the Year Competition ..... 2000 Mark Browne From the West Midlands is the 2000 Young Horticulturist of the Year. Mark works at Jardinerie in Solihull and took a degree in horticulture at Pershore & Hindlip College. Mark had achieved 3rd place in the 1999 Final He is planning to spend the Percy Thrower Bursary in Madeira There was a tie for second place between Michael English of Askham Bryan, and Luke Chamberlain of Moulton; at 18 Luke must be one of the youngest finalists and prizewinners in the competition. Nigel Alford from the South West came fourth. Mark Browne, a convincing winner, got away to a flying start and held the lead throughout. But this was no one-horse race; Mrs Connie Thrower, Percy Thrower’s widow, presented prizes to the contestants, noting that she had been impressed by the depth of knowledge they had shown. Other Finalists were From Scotland :Lauren Driscoll; From Ireland: Alan McIlveen; From the North West : Alison Read; From the South-East : Tom Sumner For 2000 the National Final returned to its roots - to Shrewsbury, home of the late Percy Thrower. That doyen of television gardeners was Parks Superintendent to the City, and the house that went with the job is now the base of the Shropshire Horticultural Society, which funds the Travel Bursary that bears his name. The competition venue was Shrewsbury’s Shirehall. The 1999 winner ... Mike Smith, from Leicestershire, was the 1999 Young Horticulturist of the Year. The 1999 Finals were held at the Grow 99 Garden Show at Sandown Park, The audience of supporters and show visitors saw 22-year-old Mike Smith come from behind in the last few rounds to snatch the title. The result was finely balanced between a number of the contestants for most of the contest. Mike was in his final year of the National Diploma in Horticulture at Brooksby College near Melton Mowbray. He was also a Finalist in 1998 when he finished in fourth place. He is hoping to work in a nursery or garden centre when he has finished his college course. The runners up There were two runners-up: 22-year-old Stuart Robbins who also achieved second place last year and Karin Larsen, aged 24. Stuart was studying for a Higher National Diploma in Horticulture with Plantsmanship at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh. Karin was studying part-time for an NVO in Amenity Horticulture at Bicton College in Devon while working to fund her college course. Third place went to Mark Browne a degree student at Pershore and Hindlip College. The other Finalists were: Ireland. Alan Mcliveen, who works at Greenmount College. North of England.. Mike English, a student at Askham Bryan College, York (also a Finalist in 1998). North West: Lyn Chambers, currently studying at Myerscough College. South East.. Robert Bett, a student at Writtle College. The prizes The Young Horticulturist of the Year wins the Percy Thrower Travel Bursary worth £1,500. It is funded by the Shropshire Horticultural Society. The winner uses the Bursary to organise a horticultural tour anwhere in the world. Previous winners have visited New Zealand, the Himalayas, Canada and various parts of Europe. There are plenty of prizes at Branch Final and local heat level as well. The value of prizes in the 2000 competition topped £6,000, thanks to the generosity of a wide range of sponsors. Some 600 young horticulturists under the age of 25 (mostly students) take part in the heat stages of the competition organised by the Institute of Horticulture Branches. What is involved? The competition is run in three phases : local heats, Branch Finals and the National Final. Local heats are based on multiple choice questions on a wide range of topics. Points mean prizes, but nobody needs to blush if they don’t know all the ansers. Heat winners go forward to local Branch Finals. In these, a Quizmaster asks questions, some on a buzzer, some individually. Everyone gets a chance to shine, as the questions cover all areas of horticulture. The winner of each Branch Final goes forward to the National Final, where the format is similar. 2001
Finals have been postponed due to Foot and Mouth Disease. The Finals
will now take The Institute of Horticulture Wishes to Record its Thanks to Those Organisations who Sponsored the Regional Heats and Finals of Competition in 2000 An
Bord Glas Glasgow City Parks & Recreation Department Greenmount College HRI Kirton Kingston Maurward College Land Technology of Wokingham Leeds City Council Matthew Clark Jewellers, Ayr Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture North of England Horticultural Society Notcutts Garden Centres Pencoed College Reaseheath Collge Rigby Taylor Scotgrow Sovereign Turf Unwins Seeds Ltd Van Hage Garen Centre, Ware Webbs of Wychbold Wyevale Nurseries Ltd The
National Finals of the Young Horticulturist of the Year Competition are
Sponsored by the Shropshire Horticultural Society |