Born in Holland on 25 September 1954, Tim Smit read Archaeology and Anthropology at Durham University, then spent ten years in the music industry as a composer and producer of both rock music and opera. He moved to Cornwall in 1987, where together with John Nelson he 'discovered' and then restored the Lost Gardens of Heligan. He remains a director of the gardens to the present day. Tim Smit is chief executive and co-founder of the award-winning Eden Project near St Austell in Cornwall. He is also a trustee, patron and board member of a number of statutory and voluntary bodies both locally and nationally, and has received a variety of national awards, including the Royal Society of Arts… Albert Medal, an honorary CBE in 2002, and honorary doctorates and fellowships from a number of universities. He was voted 'Great Briton of 2007' in the Environment category of the Morgan Stanley Great Britons Awards, and has been the subject of both This is Your Life and Desert Island Discs. Tim Smit lives in Fowey, Cornwall, and in his free time he enjoys reading, film, music and art.