Presenter profiles

Place of birth:

Kitwe in Zambia (a small copper mining community), living mainly on a farm in the middle of the bush which belonged to my Godfather who was part Zulu part German and part Afrikaans (not a blood relative)!

What's your favourite part of our area:

Anywhere on the North Yorkshire Moors, especially when the heather is in flower and the sun is out. The pub half way down the cliff at Runswick Bay is my favourite place to sit and watch the sun go down on a warm balmy evening.

Previous jobs:

PE & Geography teacher, fitness instructor, cartoonist for Sheffield City Council, First Aider, adventure park supervisor, Garden Designer, Head Gardener of a botanic centre, Manager of an environmental education centre, Eat Well Grow Well Facilitator for the NHS and currently Horticultural Retail Manager for Houghall Farm and Garden Centre in Durham, as well as columnist for the Northern Echo Newspaper.

Why do you love your job:

Sharing a passion about plants and the great outdoors.

Most interesting person you have interviewed for radio:

Carol Kleine. She just has such a positive attitude to life and gardening. She is a television gardener who knows her plants, and not a television personality who can read a script on plants.

Person you would most enjoy being stuck in a lift with:

Lara Croft as she could find an exciting and dangerous way out for us all.

First record you bought:

Kate Bush running up that hill.

Where you are when you get most of your inspiration or creative thoughts:

Out in the garden, usually with a glass of Chenin Blanc, or driving in the car with some very loud music on.

Funny sayings you like to use:

Oky dokey (I don’t realize I’m saying it though)

Any habits, annoying or otherwise:

I leave the washing up water in the bowl (apparently), and I am always forgetting where I have put my keys.

Join Brigid Press with Harry Blackwood every Sunday, 11am - 2pm.