Modern heroes of horticulture - Lee Connelly
Lee Connelly, better known to some as The Skinny Jean Gardener, came to prominence as CBBC’s Blue Peter Gardener, appearances on BBC ‘Teach’, and BBC Radio One. His theatre tour ‘Extreme Gardening’ saw him sowing sunflowers whilst skydiving, shooting potatoes from a canon, and catapulting tomatoes into space. In 2020 his first book, ‘How to Get Children Gardening’, was published and will soon be followed by book number two, a parent’s guide to gardening, due for publication in 2025.
His podcast ‘The Skinny Jean Gardener’ boasts 150,000 monthly listeners and was rated as one of the top five UK gardening podcasts by The Times.
Like many, lockdown gave Lee time to reassess his career trajectory where he found himself focussing on children's gardening, and having time to develop his groundbreaking initiative to bring gardening to primary schools throughout the UK. With seeds, tools, and associated videos, ‘School Gardening Success’ has gained a strong following amongst teachers. His passion for getting children into the garden has found him advising The House of Lords Horticulture Committee where he is hoping to craft policy initiatives embedding horticultural practices into the school curriculum nationwide.
To further spread the word, Lee has become part of the ‘Jamie Oliver Good School Food Awards’ - the perfect match with its natural link between garden fork and dinner plate. Lee is always keen to discuss horticulture within education and can be contacted via his website www.skinnyjeangardener.co.uk
