Sparsholt College horticultural lecturer Stephen J White is retiring. He began work at the college in 1976 after training at Worcester Teacher Training College and was at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on the diploma course and at Regent's Park, London, as an apprentice gardener. His former students include Charlie Dimmock.
He developed a range of higher education garden design courses from Higher National Certificate and Diploma course level through to a Foundation degree and a BSc Honours degree. He started his own design business in 1986 and is a registered member and current national council member of the Society of Garden Designers. He is also on the gardens advisory panel for Sir Harold Hillier Gardens & Arboretum.