8 minute read
Mark Lane: breaking down barriers
Mark Lane: breaking down barriers
Mark Lane is a pioneer. He’s broken through barriers, changing perceptions of what can and can’t be done. To officially confirm he was the first garden designer in a wheelchair – he enlisted the help of the patron of the Soil Association, who just happens to be King Charles. It sums up Mark’s outlook on life, if you want to do something, you work out a way and go for it. The barrier is other people’s mindset.
“In an ideal world, it’s a world where we don’t have to talk about it, it just happens, but unfortunately, we are nowhere near that. It’s a world where people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, race, sexuality, sexual preferences, disability, ability all have an equal part to play – it’s never questioned it just happens. That’s what I hope we can achieve.”
As an Equity Ambassador for the Association, Mark wants to open up the horticulture industry to all.
Mark doesn’t want these initiatives to be a flash in the pan which over time gets forgotten about. He would love for these issues to be non-issues – where people are not defined by their physicality, but their ability to do the job. He said, “I don’t want it to become a form of tokenism. It’s about making sure there is the right information for individuals and championing horticulture as a place where people with disabilities can actually work and can have a good, satisfying job.”
A car accident in 2000 was life-changing. Mark was in rehabilitation for 18 months, at the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre. The exceptional horticultural therapist at the hospital reignited Mark’s love of planting. “She kept saying to me, come on Mark, you have to do something with gardening, you have an encyclopaedic brain for plants.”
Mark loved gardening since childhood, but having graduated in art history, his career took him to publishing director at RIBA.
Once home, Mark’s husband encouraged him into their garden. “My hubby said to me one day, come on let’s get outside, I’m sure it will do you some good. It was astonishing, for those 10 minutes, I completely forgot about my pain and the accident, I was focussing on the colours and feeling the wind on my skin and just realised how amazing I was feeling.”
The seed was sown. Mark retrained as a garden designer, gaining his diploma from the KLC School of Design.
Becoming the first garden designer in a wheelchair was surprising to Mark in some ways, but not in others. Part of the job is spending time sitting down at a desk or a drawing board. But there’s the part where sites need to be visited and holes need to be dug. Mark has proved, with the right tools, clothing and a bit of modern tech, it can be done. You adapt, you adjust.
Mark remembers, “One project we had in Northamptonshire was on the side of a hill. It was a 10-acre site and I thought how on earth am I going to get across this muddy site? I’ll just have to find the right wheelchair or vehicle, and once
I’m there I can use drones for areas I can’t get into so I can see the space for myself, I can use laser levels and all of that. It was breaking it down – there shouldn’t be these barriers - you just need to think a bit differently. Then there is no reason why you can’t make something magical.”
It was pointed out to Mark, he’s come to garden design with a unique perspective. He sees the garden from a seated position, but can remember when he used to walk. If changing materials, he makes the transition smooth, removing trip hazards. He can create a wonderful space everyone can enjoy for many years.
Mark has a passion for horticulture and loves working with craftsmen and women who are passionate too. Working creatively within an environment that embraces all materials means everyone will bring a different skill set to a project. “If you can get a really good team together of like-minded people, it can make for a really exciting mixed pool you can dip into. I can be influenced by the smallest detail that someone else has created. I love that.”
Mark thrives on learning new approaches, different ways, viewpoints and techniques. Horticulturalists are great at sharing their knowledge, but he thinks a bit of healthy competition is good – it lifts everyone’s standards. “You could give two people the same brief and yet what they come up with will be completely different and that’s what I love. You are blending different skills as well, your plant knowledge or your design skills or if you love materials. Maybe you love the way the landscape sits with the architecture in the environment. It doesn’t matter where you come from there’s always these little things that you can do to make this an incredible career.”
From a disability point of view, Mark could find no one to inspire him. (At least he will be inspiring others). It was Dan Pearson’s approach that impressed Mark. “His incredible planting skills, how he puts his plant composition together, but also how he reads the landscape. I love art and architecture and I can be inspired by what an architect has done to a building; that can be a modern building, an old build, it’s the materials they use, can we use those in the landscape.”
Two of Mark’s favourite recent projects are two ends of the scale; one was a private garden where no expense was spared, meaning a team of artisans pulled together to create something wonderful. No less satisfying is Mark’s other much-loved project, which is working with the charity Sense at their flagship building in Birmingham. He’s immensely proud of how they are creating a garden which will be a safe space for all. The garden’s longevity is at the forefront of his mind.
Looking to the future, Mark is aware there’s a shortfall of people coming into the industry, but no matter the problem, he is always looking for a way to navigate around it. It starts with education, not just for the newcomers, but re-educating those already established in horticulture to change their perception of diversity and inclusion.
“I know from my own experience along the way there are definitely things I know someone could have done if they only had one arm or were partially sighted or unable to twist their torso. Everyone has something to offer in an industry which is so far-reaching”.
Mark knows the use of modern technology often appeals to the younger generation, demonstrating a drone can be a memorable experience. “Once we attract them in, we can show there are so many different avenues to take. Horticulture offers so many choices of roles – it needs a diverse and forward thinking workforce.”
Changes are required, not least in legislation. There may be set standards and regulations for the inside of a property, but the outside rules seem open to interpretation. Mark said, “That interpretation needs to be honed down and finalised into a document or a manifesto so we can all work to that, to make our gardens and outdoor spaces more inclusive.”
Mark will always approach a project from the angle of making it safe and accessible to all; college courses need to expand their curriculum, to acknowledge everyone’s differences. He applauds BALI for the Equality Ambassador initiative. “What BALI are doing is incredible, getting us all together was astonishing. Things are changing and it does help the fact, some of us are on the telly, it just helps to have us there, people can see us.”
Championing individuals has a powerful impact. Why shouldn’t we celebrate the individuals that come to improve a much loved industry? Mark has some proper practical advice for those wanting to come into Horticulture.
Be as open as you possibly can, really assess what it is you want to do and what you can do. Then be open to whoever you are talking to in the industry. People can be scared to say something, especially the young as they think it’s stupid, but actually no, it’s not, it all helps and it helps everyone of all different levels in the industry. Buddy up with someone, have a mentor. It’s important to show we are invested in this and investing in people, I think that needs to be clearer.
Recently Mark received an honorary doctorate from Kent University. “It was pomp and circumstance and I loved it. It made me feel very warm inside, it was a lovely thing.”
It demonstrates, Mark knows first-hand how being valued has made a difference to his life. So, what’s stopping us from doing it to others? He switched to a career which offers a different day every day and doesn’t feel like work. There are many out there wanting the same, ready to offer something individual and worthwhile.
