Alan may not have come from a gardening family, and to be honest, he didn’t know much about plants when he left school at 16. All he knew was that he wanted to be outdoors—preferably without being stuck in a classroom. One day, while perusing the careers office, an ad titled “A Career in the Great Outdoors” jumped out at him. It was for an apprenticeship as a gardener with Edinburgh Council, and he thought, “Why not?” he applied, got the job, and from that moment, he was hooked on horticulture.
Alans journey has taken him to some pretty fantastic places, including Culzean Castle and Holyrood Palace. He also had the joy of working as a project advisor for the Society for Horticultural Therapy (now Thrive). On top of that, he founded and managed Community Gardening Projects Scotland and was one of the founding members of Trellis, serving as Chair of the Board for a few years.
Alan has dabbled in community and environmental regeneration too, leading the charge on revitalising Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park. This adventure eventually led him to become the Parks and Gardens Manager for the City of Edinburgh Council, followed by a role as Greenspace Manager. He finally hung up his gardening gloves in 2021, but he's still gardening, splitting hiss time between an allotment in Edinburgh that je share with a friend and nurturing his garden in sunny Murcia, Spain.