298: Garden Podcast: Ben Brace, London National Park City

Peter Donegan meets with Ben Brace of London National Park City. Of London National Park City, they say: Let’s make London the world’s first National Park City. A city where people and nature are better connected. A city that is rich with wildlife and every child benefits from exploring, playing and learning outdoors. A city where we all enjoy high-quality green spaces, the air is clean to breathe, it’s a pleasure to swim in its rivers and green homes are affordable. Together we can make London a greener, healthier and fairer place to live.For those who may not know Ben, he is a Chartered Landscape Architect and fully qualified Horticulturist. He has worked literally worked from the ground up; as a landscape contractor, in landscape maintenance private and commercial, selling plants as a market stall trader and also for a small independant nursery and large commercial organisations. From these beginnings he worked his socks off to get himself qualified in the things he loves most - plants and design.Aside from the day job, he is a Volunteer Tree Warden and a balcony gardener, a soon to be RHS mentor and an Ambassador for Landscape (for the Landscape Institute). He is a volunteer project leader for the Chelsea Fringe and for the Open Squares Weekend, a picking coordinator for Abundance London a member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and an Associate Member of the Arboricultural Association.Of the Greater London National Park City initiative he describes himself as a general foot soldier.London National Park City: web: www.nationalparkcity.london twitter: @LondonNPC twitter: Dan Raven Ellison Ben Brace: twitter: @Ben_BraceThoughts or comments ? @sodshow on twitter or on facebook as The Sodshow