Green-fingered teenager Jamie Butterworth is set to take the gardening world by storm. And he hopes to make his mark in front of millions after reaching the final of a prestigious TV competition. The 17-year-old from Durkar, Wakefield, has won a place in the final four of the gardening category of the BBC’s popular Young Talent of the Year show.
Jamie, who studies horticulture at Askham Bryan College in Harrogate, will feature on the show set to be screened on BBC Three at the end of this month. He wowed judges with his enthusiasm for horticulture and impressed them with his knowledge of the whole subject. He said: “I guess it’s quite unusual for someone my age to be that into gardening, it’s not the typical hobby but it’s something I love to do and I think the judges liked that.
“I love being able to sow something and a few months later be able to harvest it – it’s so rewarding and something I encourage anyone to do. “Being on the show was the best experience of my life by far. It was surreal but absolutely fantastic. I’m only just coming down off the high of getting to the top four.”
Jamie’s interest in gardening grew after he watched an episode of BBC TV show Gardeners’ World when he was just 10-years-old. The programme inspired him to go out in the garden and experiment with junior gardening, and shortly he was bitten by the planting bug.
Jamie, who works part time at First Impressions Nursery, Doncaster Road, Ackworth, said: “A lot of people get the impression people my age just stand around on street corners and get up to no good, but this is a good way of showing that’s not always the case.
“That’s what the programme is trying to promote and I’m behind that completely, getting young people into gardening is something I feel very strongly about.”