A lifelong love of homegrown produce is showing no signs of slowing down for one of Coastline’s valued volunteers, as he approaches his 90th year.
Despite the unusually hot summer, Eric Cawkwell, the one-man market garden, has just as much enthusiasm for his flowers and vegetables today as he did when he first started at the age of five.
Eric, 88, said: “My father was away at war in the Army, so I helped my mother and brother to grow our own potatoes, cabbages and green vegetables in the garden at our home near Hull.
“When I joined the Navy for 13 years, the gardening stopped, but as soon as I came out I moved to Buckinghamshire and picked it up again.”
Eric, who has been volunteering for Coastline for 10 years, has created a spectacular allotment at Veor House in Camborne, where he now resides with Lynne, his wife of 27 years.
He took over the garden after the previous incumbent passed away and there was no-one else to take it on.
His tireless labour of love has since expanded and developed the garden, to the delight of other residents who enjoy the beautifully kept outdoor space.
Eric tends to everything from spring bulbs such as crocuses and tulips, to geraniums, roses, begonias, primroses, clematis and much more.
He has enough fruit and vegetables for a feast too – his haul includes celeriac, white radishes, runner beans, courgettes, gherkins, tomatoes, cabbages, cucumbers, carrots, spring onions, purple sprouting, broccoli and kohlrabi.
He is also cultivating a chilli which boasts more than one million Scoville Heat Units – for the uninitiated, suffice to say it is rather hot!
“I enjoy batch cooking using what I’ve grown and in particular curries, chilli con carne, bacon and leek pasta bake and cottage pie. I’m hoping to grow potatoes in the future – some Baby Charlottes to start with and then Maris Pipers.
“I really enjoy being outdoors and keeping it all going. Mainly I like to grow flowers because residents here like to look out of the window and see a bit of colour. They really appreciate what I do for them,” he said.
The only days of the week that you won’t find Eric in the garden are Mondays and Thursdays, when he’s volunteering at Coastline’s Miners Court Extra Care, in Redruth.
He was named Community Volunteer of the Year at Coastline's annual Customer At The Heart awards ceremony at the Penventon Hotel, last October.
