After Dinner Speakers: Kim Wilde, Chris Langham, Emma Thompson

Kim Wilde was born on 18 November 1960 in Chiswick, West LondonAt the age of eight, Kim moved with her family to the Hertfordshire village of Tewin where she attended the local Primary School, before moving on to Presdales School in Ware.In 1979 Kim completed a one-year foundation course at St Albans College of Art & Design as a precursor to an Art Degree but, in 1980, she signed to Mickie Most’s RAK Records and her first single release, Kids In America, was to change her life. This worldwide hit paved the way for a recording career which yielded ten albums and in excess of thirty singles, bringing success in every major record market. Highlights included performing on a five month European stadium tour with Michael Jackson and an American Number One with You Keep Me Hangin’ On.In 1983 Kim was voted Best British Female Singer at the prestigious BPI (Brit) Awards and has received nominations on two further occasions. In 1994 a brief appearance as stand-in co-presenter of Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast proved an enjoyable diversion, whilst in 1995 Kim made her West End stage debut playing the female lead for twelve months in a successful production of the musical, TOMMY More recently, Kim’s love for gardening - which had it’s origins in her move to Hertfordshire as a small child - began to exert more influence in her life and, having spent the initial years of her career living back in London, Kim returned to Hertfordshire in the early 1990’s when she began renovating a 16th Century barn. Participation in a horticultural course whilst pregnant with her son Harry, now 2, further fuelled her interest and what began as perhaps an ambitious attempt to provide fresh fruit and vegetables for her family has resulted in a passionate affair. Indirectly, it also lead to an invitation to appear as a guest designer on ITV’s Better Gardens (transmitted from January 2000). The Summer of 2000 saw Kim recording 20 programmes in the next series of the BBC’s Garden Invaders (transmitting from Spring 2001) in which she appears as resident designer and she also writes a monthly gardening feature in Prima magazine. Although there are a number of related television projects presently under development or consideration, early 2001 will see Kim concentrating on her joint venture with Countryside Properties to design a garden for the RHS’ Tatton Hall Show while she also completes a City & Guilds Phase II Course in Planting & Planting Design.