Jacky Chave

Jacky is Strategic Schools Manager for the Royal Horticultural Society and is based at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey. She is also a member of the BGEN committee.

How long have you been working with plants and the natural world?

I've worked with plants since 1986, when I started a PhD on the ‘biometrical genetics of Lolium perenne’. After completing my PhD in 1989, I worked as a geneticist at The West Indies Central Sugar Cane Breeding Station in Barbados and then retrained as a secondary school science teacher back in the UK, before joining the RHS as an education officer in 2001.
 
Why is helping to connect people and plants important to you?

I am happiest when I am outside. I love spending time in my own garden, which is still a novelty for me, and going on long walks or cycle rides in the countryside. I was brought up in rural Gloucestershire and spent most weekends and summer holidays outside as our family had a touring caravan. I think being outside connecting with nature and in particular beautiful plants has a positive impact on an individual’s mental and physical health. Children learn so much from observing what is around them - the seasons as they change, where their food comes from, what insects are attracted by certain plants and much more.I love to sit in my garden with a glass of wine in my hand and relax, listen and watch. 
 
Tell us about a project you're really proud to have been involved in.

I manage the national element of the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, a UK-wide initiative encouraging schools to create and actively use a school garden. We offer support to schools through our website  and a continuing professional development programme for teachers. We also have five RHS Campaign for School Gardening Regional Advisors who each work in a region in the UK establishing links with local schools and running twilight training sessions.

Finally, what is your favourite plant?

Agapanthus – it is beautiful and elegant.