Working as a gardener with Parkinson’s: Lester’s Story

"I’ve always had an interest in gardening. When I joined the military, we always kept a nice garden. In fact, whenever neighbours were posted elsewhere, I’d sneak in and rescue a few of their plants before the next lot moved in. After leaving the military, I tried a range of jobs—shop work, truck driving—while my partner Lynn worked as a live-in housekeeper. Wherever she went, I went. I completed my RHS Level 3 at Berkshire College of Agriculture and taught myself through books and videos. The more gardens I worked in, the more my knowledge grew.

In 2020 Lynn became ill with fibromyalgia and had to stop working. Around the same time as COVID hit, we relocated to the Cotswolds. I began working in large, mature gardens for high-net-worth clients—some of which are centuries old, full of mature plants. 

I found out about Perennial when I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2024, although my symptoms began a couple of years earlier. The little slip ups I have with my tremors, occasional stumbling and some memory issues I can control at the moment through work and exercise rather than medication. I go to the gym four or five times a week and use the rowing machine a lot - I imagine Parkinson’s as a boat chasing me down a river, and I just need to keep it behind me.

I called Perennial's helpline and was connected to Debbie. She’s put me in contact with services like the Growth Hub and offering guidance as I think about the future. Ultimately I want to  diversify and move into something less physical, perhaps media or public speaking related as I’ve done some of this before. I hosted an hour-long gardening radio show during COVID, and although I’m naturally quite shy, I’ve learned to use humour as a way to connect. I’ve made a few TV appearances in game shows like Relative Knowledge with Alan Titchmarsh, Wheel of Fortune and Alaska Ice Road Trucking  where I took a cornet to play God Save The Queen at -50 in the arctic circle.

Keeping Parkinson’s at bay is my biggest challenge now. My symptoms can be unpredictable and I’m much more emotional too. Parkinson's gets me most in my feet and my hands, my feet are either totally freezing or so hot I can barely stand up. So mowing for 5 hours becomes challenging - just to stand up let alone walk behind a lawn mower. I use battery operated secateurs to help me prune with my shaking – I just have to make sure my finger isn’t in the way! I can also lose my train of thought and getting down is ok but getting back up can be tricky.

I have to work – Lynn can’t, so if I don’t go to work I can’t pay the rent and we won’t have a cottage to live in. I keep saying to myself  ‘Lester you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go’. It’s there all the time.  My military background has really helped with this. They used to say ‘can’t means won’t and won’t means jail’. That mindset still drives me today. I try to stay positive though and support others - it's not all doom and gloom."