Neil Dixon is the Head of Gardens and Grounds at King's. He joined King's in 2019.

What is your favourite memory at King’s?

There have been lots of very fond memories, from completing various projects on time to seeing the sports pitches at Birley’s all being used on a sunny Saturday—they all fill me with pride. I think my favourite memory though would be the transformation of the IC garden, taking it from essentially an area of scrub / waste land and turning it into the garden that it is now. The nice thing about gardening is the landscape is constantly evolving and very subjective across all staff members, so trying to present gardens that have something to offer everyone is exciting.

What is your favourite garden at King’s and why?

Thats a tough one. I think my favourite garden at King’s is the walk through Lattergate into Old Grange area, this area to me shows King’s at its best. It’s a high footfall area which allows the team to showcase their skills and knowledge, and knowing it is seen by the whole school community is very satisfying.

Congratulations on completing the London Winter 10K Run and raising a whopping £335 for Cancer Research UK! What did you most enjoy or learn from the experience?

I learnt whilst training for the run that we are all capable of doing things we didn't think we could, with the right support and a lot of effort anyone can achieve what they think is impossible. I enjoyed the whole experience, there was 25,000 participants and the atmosphere was electric and will definitely be doing more runs.

What do you do when you’re not at King’s?

My wife and I enjoy travelling, going to the theatre and family days out. We have been lucky over the last few years to visit America, Caribbean and Thailand on holiday, but normally just walking the dogs and spending time with family and friends is what we would be doing.

What is at the top of your bucket list?

I think an around the world cruise would be very close to the top of the list, up there, but this may have to wait until retirement! In the meantime, I think watching Ireland and England compete in the 6 nations at either Twickenham or the Aviva Stadium would be a fantastic experience.