A report in British newspaper The Daily Telegraph last weekend suggests that City workers are turning to gardening as a source of income as the economic downtown threatens their jobs.

Celebrities such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Jamie Oliver have been keenly promoting self-sustenance and, with the rising price of food, gardening is becoming a serious option for City workers.

“The buoyancy of gardening is making it an attractive option as the City sheds jobs,” said Steve Dowbiggin, chief executive of Capel Manor horticulture college.

The college, in Enfield, Middlesex, is starting new Royal Horticultural Society courses in January and April in response to demand from city workers who fear redundancy.

Technical training colleges, charities and teacher training courses have also reported a surge in inquiries as City bankers, traders and back-room staff lose their jobs.

“I was made redundant in the crash in the early 1990s,” said former Lloyds broker Neil Miller, who is now head gardener at Hever Castle in Kent. “I decided on a total career change and I can very much see that happening for many people again,” he said.

There are fears that as many as 100,000 jobs could be lost in banking and finance over the next 12 months.

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