Dear supporters and friends,
It has been six months since my last update, and I thought I would write to let you know about the progress we have made since, thanks to your support which started the ball rolling, and thus fulfilling my dream of getting Handbook for Budding Little Gardeners, written in memory of the wonderful woman who had been a mother to me, out there in the hands of as many children as possible. Gardening, family and love was my mother’s legacy. Handbook for Budding Little Gardeners has grown into a movement, World Garden Schools to keep her memory alive. Her name was Marion Jones. I thank each an everyone of you for helping me.
BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair – Beaulieu, May 3, 4 and 5th
We have been invited to run a series of workshops on gardening for children! That is such a rare honour, as the BBC Gardeners’ World is truly an iconic, national and BIG event! We will be out in force teaching children how to take care of plants and how to make plant food. In the past years, there had been an average of 21,000 visitors to the fair, so it’s going to be buzzing! Please do come and join us.
https://www.gardenersworld.com/garden-offers/travel-and-events/bbc-gardeners-world-spring-fair-2024
Still at #2!
This book was at the #1 spot for six months, and now, it is second only to a book published by a big publishing house with big budget (at the time of writing – 17 March). Please do consider getting an e-copy to get us back to Number One again! We have absolutely zero advertising spend and we rely on supporters to keep the flame burning.
Click here to purchase – only £3.94 – FREE of you have Kindle Unlimited.
Now stocked at Wellcome Collection, London!
The Wellcome Collection in London hosts interesting FREE exhibitions exploring health and human experience, and my books are stocked there! It’s really worth checking out the free exhibitions: https://wellcomecollection.org/
International Impact
We have been in Asia visiting our Partner of the Year, Nexus International School Malaysia, where we kick-started several projects, including a student-led publication of pre-university guide book, Asian Kid Abroad. 100% of the profits is donated to a local charity, PAWS Malaysia.
It was a beautiful experience visiting the school, and putting more plans in place with Madeleine Proud, Nexus’s Director of Global Citizenship.
Incredibly, the book that the students produced sold out within a month and is on the second edition now!!!!! Click here to see the amazing things this school is doing to give its students an all-round education that is fit-for-purpose for the modern world:
We also took the opportunity to visit United World College in Phuket and met the school’s inspiring head, Lural Ramirez. We were completely blown away by UWC’s ambitious plans which very much resonate with ours. Note: UWC has been nominated for Nobel Peace Prize!
Celebration
I collected an award on behalf of those who believe in and share my vision. I want to shout out to KK my neighbour and Lisa Skraba, the early believers, when I had absolutely nothing. What I picked up today is only a small award on the grand scheme of things but it makes what I am doing more real. At the start of this journey, a sceptic asked me how much I thought I would make from this venture. Okaaaay …. I used to manage the Barclays Global Investors’ Japan Quant Fund (£800million) and was successful in what I did – therefore, I do know a few things about making money. But I also know that there are so many things of greater value, that makes our lives worth living, worth getting out of bed for, that cannot be quantified by money. So I told the sceptic, I don’t care how much money I lose. If we only do things on the premise of making money, then this would be a very sad world indeed.
Do consider buying this book
Spring is the perfect time to start gardening, and gardening with children is doubly rewarding as it is a lifelong skill that will serve them well in life. If you don’t own a copy of this book yet, please do consider buying one. I will waive all postage costs for UK orders (£15 per book) and I will autograph it for the special person you buy it for.
Thank you.
My very best wishes,
Jacqueline
Cheese Plant Books 
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