A dream came true for former Bridgewater High School pupil Adam White, the youngest ever Fellow and current President of the Landscape Institute, when he recently presented Sir David Attenborough with a lifetime achievement award.
As president of the professional body representing all landscape architects in the UK Adam got the chance to have dinner with Sir David and present him with his award.
It topped a busy year for Adam who has also co designed four RHS gardens with HRH the Duchess of Cambridge, met former US Vice President Al Gore and now considers Sir David a friend.
Adam, whose dad Paul was well known locally for running White’s Sports on Warrington Market, is famous for designing and managing the creation of flagship nature play spaces with his business partner, fellow landscape architect, Andree Davies.
They have won two prestigious RHS Gold Medals, popular two BBC People’s Choice Awards and an elusive RHS Best in Show for their work. During 2019 the design duo famously co-designed four nature inspired gardens with HRH the Duchess of Cambridge at RHS Chelsea, RHS Hampton, RHS Wisley and an NHS Trust in Devon. The gardens gained global attention and the duo appeared in the worldwide press including TV in the UK, Australia, America, South Africa and Canada.
Adam, who grew up in Appleton Thorn, has always been really keen to promote landscape architecture as career choice and in July 2018 he launched a career campaign called #ChooseLandscape. The initiative has now gone global and has been adopted in 22 countries around the world. His message is simple ‘you could be the next landscape superhero of tomorrow’.
As President of the Landscape Institute, Adam was the first industry leader to announce a Climate Crisis and Biodiversity Emergency Declaration in June. This led to being invited to speak at the IFLA World Congress in Oslo, Norway and the World Urban Parks Summit in Kazan, Russia. The declaration and associated actions have now been adopted by 77 different countries who make up the International Federation of Landscape Architects.
Adam was then invited to meet former US Vice President and 2007 Nobel Peace prize winner Al Gore. Al Gore got the world talking about climate change with his Academy Award-winning Film An Inconvenient Truth in 2006. He founded what would become The Climate Reality Project to move the conversation forward and turn awareness into action. Since their meeting Adam has been helping raise awareness of the project and encouraging more landscape architects to be adapt their working practice and projects to be more sustainable.
For five years Adam was host of the Landscape Institute’s annual awards, however when he became President he stepped down from this role. This year they were hosted by Adam’s friend, BBC Gardeners World presenter Arit Anderson.
They celebrated 90 years of the Landscape Institute, founded at RHS Chelsea in 1929. However, the real highlight for the guests and those tuning in online was the attendance of Sir David Attenborough.
Adam presented Sir David with the LI Medal for Lifetime Achievement at the Awards, he also made him an Honorary Fellow of the landscape Institute. Sir David spoke about the importance of reconnecting communities with nature, and the part this can play in ensuring the natural world’s protection. ‘You have a great responsibility to bring the realities of the natural world to the understanding and the love of human beings worldwide,’ Sir David told the 700 in attendance at the Troxy theatre in east London and the thousands tuning in to watch online.
Following the awards Adam said “He silenced the room and reminded us all of our responsibility to make a difference no matter how small or large. It was a career highlight to spend the day with him.”
“During the awards meal I asked him who his dream dinner guest would be, he couldn’t think of any one that he hadn’t already met, however he said he would have loved to have met Charles Darwin. He then asked me who my perfect dinner was? I replied ‘I am sat having dinner with him!’ he smiled and patted me on my wrist.”
“Having written to each other several times since March the challenge for both of us was finding a suitable event and time to meet and make the announcement. We both agreed the 90th anniversary awards would be the perfect occasion.”
“he is such a kind, gentle and patient man. We talked about our own childhoods and how we both enjoyed finding fossils and exploring nature, even talked about rugby league!”
Whilst Director of BBC2 Sir David, was instrumental in the creation of the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy. A rugby league competition held between 1965 and 1980, designed specifically for television. When the competition was first mooted not many clubs were equipped with floodlights, but the tournament caused no fewer than twenty-one clubs to install them.
Adam awarded the What’s Growing on the Greenway, by the Paul Hogarth Company’s Anthony McGuigan and Darren McKinstry, the prestigious LI President’s Award. The Connswater Community Greenway brilliantly connects people to the green space and biodiversity around them through a 9km linear park in East Belfast. Following the course of the Connswater, Knock and Loop Rivers, the Greenway creates a vibrant, attractive, and accessible parkland for leisure, recreation, and community events.
Adam closed the awards with a message about the Climate Crisis telling the audience “Where there is action, there is hope, every single person in this room can make a difference both at home and at work. Landscape architects and landscape professionals are perfectly positioned to take the lead and make a difference. Time to act is now! He then introduced a pre-recorded message from Greta Thunberg who is currently travelling across the Atlantic Ocean in a boat to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Spain.
Adam is now off to give a key note talk in Lyon in France at the Paysalia Landscape Conference before returning back to the UK for a well-earned rest over the festive break with his patient partner Sarah and supportive Mum, Susan.
Sir David’s acceptance speech can be watched here: https://youtu.be/gCdHkaKHVU4
