Portsmouth's green-fingered hero Brian Kidd is celebrated with News Years Honours award
FOR more than 40 years, Brian Kidd dedicated himself to supporting green-fingered nature lovers across Portsmouth through his gardening column with The News and his role at the city council.
Useful and often amusing horticultural advice was offered from his weekly column and contributions to the Weekend magazine, helping generations of readers to transform their window boxes and gardens.
The committed horticulturalist rose to prominence as Portsmouth’s head of parks and gardens, designing 1,600 acres of open space across the city still enjoyed by visitors to this day.
His hard work was honoured with Brian Kidd Way in Southsea being named after him, and he was granted the freedom of the city in a glittering Guildhall ceremony in 2013.
Sadly, Brian is longer with us to enjoy the green spaces he adored, as he died at the age of 82 in November.
Speaking in remembrance of the former colleague, The News’s editor Mark Waldron said: ‘As our gardening expert he is irreplaceable but he was also such a great ambassador for The News.
‘I will always cherish the moments we shared each year at our Christmas Carol Service at St Mary's in Fratton where his bible reading was always the most captivating as he held the congregation in the palm of his hand.’
Brian had also regularly appeared as a panellist on BBC Radio Solent’s gardening show and was a popular speaker at meetings across the area, ranging from the Women’s Institute to horticultural societies.