AFTER marketing Manchester United, Nadine Mansfield has embarked on a new career as a garden designer.
She will be showcasing her new skills by exhibiting at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park in the The Career Changer of the Year competition.
After promoting brands such as Manchester Airport, Sky TV and British Airways, she decided to embrace her love of gardening.
In January 2020 she completed the RHS Level 2 Diploma in Principles & Practices of Horticulture, in which she gained a distinction for the garden design module.
Nadine said:“I’ve always felt at home in nature and gardens.
“My mum used to run her own floristry business in Cheshire and my Grandad was an avid horticulturist, so it is most definitely in the genes.
“Designing a show garden will be a fabulous next step for me in my garden design career.”
Following the birth of her son in 2015, Nadine spent more time in the garden.
When she moved home in 2018 she decided to embark on the studying route with a view to changing career.
The garden was a blank canvas and created an ideal opportunity to develop her horticultural and design skills.
Nadine said: "I have a lot to thank my previous career for.
“I spent over 25 years in the corporate world and was fortunate to enjoy some fantastic experiences, travel the world and deliver projects of which I'm really proud of.
“The years I spent in senior marketing roles for major brands have stood me in good stead to be able to run my own business and work in an industry I truly love.
“It genuinely never feels like I'm going to work.
“Providing clients with creative solutions to their brief, and seeing those ideas built, is a privilege.
“Garden design is a wonderful career and horticulture is something we should see on the national curriculum as it plays a fundamental part in all our futures."
The Career Changer of The Year Competition is a new category for 2024 and open to anyone aged 31 or over who has not exhibited in any show garden category at any RHS Shows previously.
Nadine’s garden is called A Better New Build Garden and encourages home owners to ditch artificial grass with her lawn free design.
Nadine said: “I want to present what can be done in the new build space that is practical, aesthetically pleasing and good for wildlife.
“The intention is to show how a new build garden can be a haven for people and nature alike.”
The RHS Flower Show Tatton Park runs from July 17-21.
Since launching her garden design business she hasn’t looked back. Nadine has worked with many clients across Cheshire, Manchester and the North West of England in spaces both large and small.
She has recently embarked upon a Masters in landscape architecture studies to build her knowledge and expertise even further. She is also a pre-registered member of the Society of Garden Designers.
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