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Earlier this year, Alan Titchmarsh announced that he had decided to reduce his working week in order to prioritise his family. The 76-year-old gardener now no longer works on Fridays, and occasionally takes Mondays off. This however doesn’t mean that the host will be retiring anytime soon, as he claims working outdoors still remains as one of his greatest pleasures.
Alan’s decision to carry on working is not only for himself, but also due to his fears about the future of horticulture and the environment.
Having recently expanded his reach to YouTube and TikTok, the gardener said he is keen to pass on “knowledge and care” about the environment to those wrapped up in the online world.
“I need to pass on knowledge and care for the environment to every generation, and that starts with a little piece of earth outside in your garden,” he told Suffolk Magazine.
“There’s a great danger now with technology, mobile phones etc that young people will lose connection with the great outdoors.
“They know about global warming and climate change and feel powerless to do anything about it,” he added.
The former Gardeners’ World host launched his YouTube channel back in April and has since gained almost 61,000 subscribers.
Introducing his channel at the time, he said: “In a worryingly troubled world, gardening is a great escape, but it’s an escape to reality. The grass, the trees, the shrubs, the flowers remind you that nature carries on, and when you work with her it’s enriching beyond measure.”
He went on to say: “I’ve been a gardener for over 60 years and I can safely say that gardening is one of life’s greatest joys, and I can’t wait to share it with you.”
Alan has been expressing his fears about British gardening being under threat for several years.
“It’s time we reconnected them with apples rather than Apple Macs, plant cells rather than cell phones and raspberries as well as blackberries,” he previously told the Daily Mail.
He further expressed concern about young people not considering a future in horticulture, claiming it’s not a topic that is championed enough.
“There is much to learn and, as anyone who has been involved with horticulture will tell you, it can be tremendously challenging,” he added.
“And yet our role is undervalued by government, by the population and by young people in particular – in every instance because they just do not understand the breadth of what we do and its importance in terms of the wellbeing of the planet and its population.”
Alan’s current projects include hosting his Gardening Club series and Love Your Weekend on ITV. Earlier this month, he also announced that he will be replacing Dame Mary Berry as the president of the National Garden Scheme.
The gardener says he was “honoured to have been asked” to fulfil the role for the charity, which raises millions of pounds each year for nursing charities.
Quizzed on what’s next for him, he added: “Who knows! I really am so lucky to be doing a job I love, which really isn’t a job at all – it’s a way of life that I have been blessed with.”
Love Your Weekend With Alan Titchmarsh continues today at 9.30am on ITV and ITVX.
Read more on Gloucestershire Live
