VoIces Awe and wonder Garden designer Chris Beardshaw is passionate about the earth, the sea – and the RnLi, as Liz Cook fi nds out ‘What is your idea of Paradise?’ that is Chris’s question to everyone for whom he designs a garden. there is no ‘Beardshaw design’ to pick from a catalogue but instead a unique journey of exploration into the heart and mind of the person who will be experiencing that garden. ‘We look at textures, heights, colours. it’s orchestration for a personal space,’ explains Chris. ‘Putting outside what’s inside can mean bearing your soul.’ Quietly bursting with a deep passion, Chris is something of a paradox. He is known to millions as a tV presenter and top-fl ight Chelsea Flower show exhibitor, yet he is in constant awe of the very materials of his trade: soil, seed and plant. the near-magical transformation from modest, apparently inconsequential seed to majestic full-grown specimen is what has inspired him since the age of 4. then it was cress on the windowsill, today a cedar tree perhaps.

Chris is keen to share the joy of gardening with all. ‘i was so lucky to have met one or two people through my life who put their arm round my shoulder and encouraged me when i needed it,’ he remembers. ‘anyone can garden. Don’t think of it as a chore and don’t get angst ridden about it – just have a go!’ the beauty of all that nature can conjure is of course not restricted to land and, perhaps not so unexpectedly, Chris fi nds the same sense of wonder when scuba diving. ‘i’m not someone who dashes about underwater,’ he muses. ‘i can be in the same place for half an hour, looking at the life down there, trying to really see. it can be very meditative.’ there is an added edge to venturing below the water’s surface, though: ‘it is so deeply relaxing, yet you are also so out of your comfort zone. You are a visitor for just a moment, before you return to your own world. You must respect that status. i’ve seen diving accidents, so i avoid any risk that is beyond my capabilities.’ Chris explains his approach: ‘i have to step inward. it’s a bit like an athlete envisioning a race before they run. i become very conscious of every action i take underwater. Rational decision making is key – if the current suddenly picks up or the visibility drops, i need to get it right in a split second.’ Of course, Chris never dives alone: ‘Choose carefully who you dive with,’ he advises. ‘their personality underwater can be very different from on land! my buddy and i completely respect each other so if one feels uneasy about a dive the other will forego it immediately.’ many of Britain’s best diving locations are familiar to Chris, including Oban, the Orkneys, st abbs, Pembrokeshire, Lundy, the Lizard and Lyme Regis. His dive boat skippers are often former RnLi lifeboat crew members and he values their knowledge of the sea and locality.

‘if they say we’re not going out today, we’re not going out!’ he explains. ‘i’ve learnt not to “grab” a dive. it’s safer that way and the best ones can sometimes be the least expected.’ But Chris’s connection with the RnLi goes back much further. it was a lifeboat demonstration during a childhood holiday by the sea that caught his attention and admiration, something Chris maintains to this day. He promotes the RnLi on his website, is known to waive fees if a donation is made and often mentions the charity in media interviews. ‘if i’d grown up nearer the sea, i would have got involved directly, but living inland, this is what i can offer instead,’ says the 36-year-old. ‘i tell everyone how much the RnLi and its volunteers are worth supporting. i know it’s good to escape the bureaucracy and control of Government but i can’t rationalise the lack of established funding given the quality and importance of the service.’ ‘i live on the edge of the High Wold in Gloucestershire, just above tewkesbury and saw the work of the RnLi in the fl oods. We all need to think so much longer term. the fl ood plains are there for a reason! We need to work towards a cohesive and vibrant form of planning that encompasses population, industry, agriculture and nature.’ that would be Paradise indeed! Buy a rose for the RnLI Chris was ‘shocked and fl attered’ to be invited by the national Rose Society to put his name to one of the new 007 series of roses, pictured above: ‘The Rosa Chris Beardshaw, produced by C & K Jones, is big, pink, blousy and fragrant – not at all like me (!) but something just like I’d have seen standing in a vase on my grandmother’s kitchen table. It’s a hybrid tea, repeat-fl owering and quite self-sustaining rose, suitable for an informal style of garden.

‘I’m pleased to be passing £ .50 from the sale of each plant to the RnLI.’ email [email protected] or phone 018 9 740663. ‘i tell everyone how much the RnLi and its volunteers are worth supporting.’ .