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Meet Your Friendly CIB Ambassadors

2017 CIB Ambassadors

Mdm Lyvenne Phoon

Lyvenne is the Garden Leader for Spectra Secondary School Community Garden. She has been involved in gardening for over 10 years and continues to be driven by her strong belief about the importance of educating the young.

Lyvenne spearheaded the Garden-based Service Learning (GBSL) Programme for all Secondary 1 students in her school. As a result of her efforts, all Secondary 1 students had the opportunity to participate in gardening programmes. To sustain the garden, Lyvenne has recruited more than 30 volunteers, including parents, nearby residents, teachers, students and farming enthusiasts. She is also always ready to provide horticulture advice to others who need help in their gardens.

Mr Kong Wah Beng

Wah Beng is a self-taught gardener who has been involved in gardening for over 6 years. He is the Garden Leader for Eng Kong-Cheng Soon Community Garden and is always looking for new opportunities to learn and improve his gardening knowledge. His skills include Air Layering, Grafting, DIY Fruit Fly trap making and Fruit Enzyme making.

Wah Beng participated in the Gardener’s Cup under the North West CDC and conducted workshops at other gardens to impart his knowledge on vermicomposting and kokedama.Hehas also shared his knowledge with teachers, polytechnic students and Teck Ghee Community gardeners, and regularly conducts talks and presentations during the monthly Gardeners’ Day Out event at HortPark. Wah Beng is ready to assist and would provide starter kits and worms to gardeners interested in starting their own vermicomposting.

Mdm Cheryl Wee Ngah Leng

Gardening since 2012, Cheryl is now an active community gardener at Princess Elizabeth Primary School. She is an engaging leader who regularly brings the community together to work on various projects in the garden such as painting the garden’s walls and revamping its frontage.

Cheryl is comfortable speaking publicly and has conducted outreach and sharing sessions at various schools and community gardens. She has also conducted sharing sessions on butterfly ecology and plants and their cultural significance, with students from neighbouring schools. Cheryl spearheaded the set-up of Ng Teng Fong and Farm Gaya Community Gardens with Yuhua and Jurong Central residents, and during her free time, she regularly shares information about flora and fauna with the gardening fraternity via social media platforms.

Mdm Josephyne Ho

Josephyne has over five years of gardening experience and is the Garden Leader in Etonhouse Preschool (Mountbatten) Community Garden. She actively advocates Green Education and nurtures her love for nature with a hands on approach, helping to personally guide the teachers in the centre.

Since 2011, Josephyne has been participating in Green Wave, Gardeners’ Day Out and Singapore Garden Festival. She led the set-up of butterfly gardens at two branches of Etonhouse, and organised multiple terrarium-making workshops for children and families using recycled bottles which helped nurture an interest in recycling among her pre-schoolers. Josephyne received the 2016 CIB Platinum Award for her contributions towards building the Etonhouse Pre-School (223 Mountbatten) Community Garden.

Mr Lee Wei Ming

As a Garden Leader, Wei Ming has been gardening at Yio Chu Kang Zone 1 Community Garden since 2014. Always ready to try out new ideas, he is willing to learn and adopt new gardening practices. He helped to set up Farm Gaya at Kim Tian West RC, as well as various gardens in swimming complexes such as Kallang Basin, Bishan, Toa Payoh, Geylang East and Ang Mo Kio.

Wei Ming is active on social media, using this platform to promote good gardening practices amongst his gardening network. He has also conducted gardening courses organised by AVA, and enjoys interacting with fellow gardeners to share ideas.

Mr Siva Rajoo

With over five years of experience, Rajoo now teaches and encourages others to take up gardening. He is the Garden Leader in Bedok Sunflower RC Community Garden where he readily shares his gardening knowledge with seniors and the young.

Rajoo regularly participates in other CIB gardening events such as Fengshan Topaz RC Farmer’s Market and Bedok Bungah Merah RC Green Day. He has also assisted in the rejuvenation of four community gardens in educational institutions: Star Learner Kindergarten, Bedok Green Primary School Student Care, Bedok Green Primary Gardening Club and Bedok View Secondary School. Rajoo enjoys growing grapes, roses and orchids in the community gardens.

2016 CIB Ambassadors

Mr Joel Lee Zheng En

Joel started gardening during his Pasir Ris Secondary School days in 2002 and continues to promote gardening at Kampung Senang Student Care Centre. He joined as a gardening volunteer at APSN in 2008 before joining the organisation in 2012. A dedicated and passionate gardener, Joel shares gardening knowledge readily and regularly holds gardening talks/workshops. He is a good leader and mentor for his clients at APSN, helping them gain employment in the landscape industry.

Joel reaches out to other nearby community gardens at Kembangan Chai Chee Community Hub by sharing soil and other gardening materials.He has conductedcworkshops on dish gardens for Regent Secondary School and made terrariums for the CIB show and tell during Singapore Garden Festival (SGF) 2016 and Gardeners’ Cup in 2014/16. So far, Joel has made over 350 terrariums for various events such as the official opening of APSN, SGF2016 World of Terrarium Tent and National Pushcart Challenge.

Mdm Iris Ho Sow Kheng

Iris started gardening almost ten years ago and has accumulated extensive gardening knowledge. She is outgoing and shares her knowledge with a wide range of people from all walks of life. Always good natured and inclusive, she reaches out to older residents and encourages new residents to take up gardening. Iris supports community activities such as sharing harvests with the needy, conducts gardening workshops and organizes monthly cook-outs for the needy under good neighbour programme by HDB. She hosts garden visits for children from PCF and trains new community gardeners.

Iris participated in the Gardeners’ Cup 2016 together with other community gardening groups from Central District and was awarded “Best Innovative Garden”. She also helped create a garden showcase at the PA HQ for 2016 CNY celebration. Iris conducts workshops and talks on gardening and participated in the Eco Schools Conference to promote Aquaponics. She is innovative and receptive to new technology and social media and helped set up 3 new gardens within AMK (2 RCs and 1 Pri Sch) and provided plant cuttings to them.

Mr Frankie Tan Teck Siong

Frankie is an active community gardener at Woodlands Zone 2 RC garden and has been gardening since 2011. He assists the Institute of Parks and Recreation Singapore as a Plant Advisor and assisted in setting up several community gardens. He is knowledgeable in growing vegetables, herbs, spices, medicinal plants and bonsai. Through hands-on sessions, he engages new gardeners and interest groups on gardening.

Frankie mentored students from Temasek and Nanyang Polytechnics in landscape design projects and shared good practices for planting and maintenance. He freely provides friends and associates with herbs for planting and willingly shares knowledge. Frankie also led overseas trips for NUSS members to visit organic farms to learn and understand new farming techniques.

Mdm Tan Siew Gek

Siew Gek is the garden leader of NTUC ULive Club and has been actively gardening since 2010. She uses social and interactive media to spur and encourage residents to replicate new gardening techniques such as flower towers. She also galvanised fellow members in the North East district to make over 200 pinwheels that were given out to visitors during the Singapore Garden Festival (SGF) 2016.

As one of the team leaders at the Gardeners’ Cup competition in SGF 2016, Siew Gek and her team members created the “Fairies Wheel Garden” and won both the “Best Eco-Friendly Garden” and the “Peoples’ Choice Award”. She also conducted several gardening workshops using recycled drinking bottles and Macrame hangers to hold air plants.

Mr Peter Sequeira

With over 20 years of gardening experience, Peter regularly conducts gardening workshops to share his knowledge with community gardeners. This encourages more people to pick up gardening as a hobby. Peter also readily provides advice and consultation on pest remedies and shares cuttings with residents and community gardeners.

He assisted to rejuvenate gardens outside his own neighbourhood, e.g Kampong Chai Chee and Bedok Sunflower RCs.He also actively engages PCF Preschools and senior citizens in the community to share with them the joy of gardening.

Mr Syaiful Hakim Bin Muslim

Syaiful has been gardening at ITE College East since 2012. As an educator at ITE College East, he is very knowledgeable in creating gardens and landscapes and encourages his students to be involved in nature way plantings. Syaiful led a team of ITE students to participate in SGF 2014 and 2016, and they won “Best Educational Garden” and Landscape Design Challenge in the Gardeners Cup.

Syaiful actively conducts terrarium workshops for college staff and students and organises guided tours of parks for students. He also actively shares horticulture/design knowledge on social media and with other organisations.

Mdm Lim Bee-Lee

Bee-Lee has been a Garden Leader of Jalan Senang NC community garden since 2012 and actively looks out for ways to improve the garden. She regularly brings the community together to work on various projects such as painting the garden walls and revamping the garden frontage. She also consistently upgrades herself by researching online and learning from other expert growers.

She helped to set up a new community garden at Minds Towner Gardens School in 2015 and brought in volunteers from AIG. She participated in SG50 Show Gardens@HortPark, SGF 2016 and leads gardeners to attend NParks’ Gardeners’ Day Out events. Bee-Lee also organised festive celebrations at the community garden and helped neighbours to start a roadside community garden by sharing horticulture knowledge, cuttings and plants.

2015 CIB Ambassadors

Mdm Foziah Yeon	Foziah incorporated gardening as part of her programme for children aged 10 to 13 years old. She is a strong believer in the therapeutic value of gardening as the activity has made her children calmer and less aggressive. She is knowledgeable in growing herbs and ornamentals and good in plant propagation. In her spare time, Foziah also volunteers at another orphanage in Batam doing gardening and painting murals.
Mr Hashim Shariff	Hashim is energetic and creative in learning new ways to promote plant growth. He spearheaded the setting up of community gardens in Yu Neng Primary School. Hashim produces coffee composting by partnering external stakeholders and generously gives away compost to other community gardens. He is currently collaborating with Sentosa Beach Resort to learn vermi-composting as a way to enhance their gardens and incorporate into Yu Neng Primary School’s science curriculum.
Mdm Judy Soo Poey Quin	Judy has been an active gardener in the community garden at Jalan Limau Manis Park since 2008. Beyond her garden, she has assisted in the setting up of community gardens at Bedok Terrace playground, St Anthony Cannosian Primary School and Bedok View Secondary School. Judy regularly gives talks at roadshows in Siglap constituency. She also organises community bonding events such as Siglap Ubin Day 2015 and creates greater awareness of greenery. She demonstrates leadership by actively recruiting new garden members and shares harvests to help needy students in Bedok View Secondary School.
Mr Foo Jit Leang	Mr Foo started a vibrant butterfly garden in Seletar Country Club in 2013 which has a record number of butterfly sightings. He is an active member of Butterfly Circle and involved in organising nature related activities to Chek Jawa. He helped East Coast Town Council, Metta Social Services, Chatworth Kindergarten and Raffles Girls School to set up their butterfly gardens. Mr Foo shares biodiversity attracting plants from his garden nursery and also gives out caterpillars to promote biodiversity. He regularly conducts walks and talks at Seletar Country Club to actively promote an appreciation for nature.
Mr Har Kiet Leng	Mr Har Kiet Leng has been an active garden leader for Thomson Sin Min RC for more than 4 years. His open concept garden continues to stand out as a model community garden in the central district. Being a veteran in garden furniture design and construction, he applies his expertise in wood and metal work in the design of garden structures. He continually improves his knowledge by visiting and sourcing from local and overseas nurseries in Malaysia, Taiwan and China. Mr Har is a CIB Award Platinum winner and also received Best New Community Garden for 2010.
Mdm Chan Kieu	Chan Kieu is a retiree who has a farming background. She has been a passionate and dedicated volunteer in Jurong Zone D CIB Gardens, Jurong Primary and Blue Cross organisation for more than 10 years. She is a mentor and role model to those who are new to gardening. Chan Kieu hosts visitors to the community gardens under her care and readily shares harvests with them. She conducts outreach at roadshows to other senior citizens as well as young children. Chan Kieu is inspirational in spreading the love for gardening.
Mdm May Lee May La	May is a garden leader with humility and is generous in sharing her knowledge. She has been an active gardener with Bukit Batok Zone 2 garden for 4 years. She played a significant role in the garden winning the Excellence Award under Best New Garden Category. May has organised numerous garden gatherings at Bukit Batok Zone 2 and ‘Cozy Garden’ which has evolved to become a well-loved gathering place for nearby residents. She has helped to set up 10 community gardens across the SW CDC and supports community planting in natureways.
Mdm Doris Yuen Kum Yeng	Doris is a self-taught gardener and enjoys growing air plants. She established an open community garden to attract residents in Woodlands cc in 2008. She has been a garden leader and a member of the Senior Citizen’s Executive Committee for 6 years where she organises active aging through gardening activities. Doris has conducted talks at Singapore Garden Festival in 2012 and 2014, and led a trip for 550 residents from Woodlands to visit the festival. She is determined and passionate in spreading the joys of gardening and actively reaches out to senior citizens and young alike.
Mdm Lalitha Nair	Lalitha is a passionate gardener who spearheaded the setting up of community gardens in Sembawang GRC. She is an active gardener in Woodlands Zone 2 which is home to 80 gardeners growing over 60 edibles and herbs. She galvanises people and communities to the benefits of gardening and goes on overseas trips to India and Bali and visits organic farms to learn growing techniques. Lalitha shares gardening knowledge through Facebook and Woodlands Magazine’s Herb Column. She engages parents support groups, tuition centres, and religious groups to teach them about plants. Lalitha actively conducts hands-on sessions for schools to teach students about vegetables, herbs, spices, and the environment.
Mr Sangaralingam Ramasamy	Sangaralingam is an active gardener in Rivervale Court RC and actively promotes gardening to young families in the estate. As a former RC Chairman, he was influential in facilitating 6 community gardens being set up in Punggol East Constituency. He actively shares his knowledge through garden tours. Sangaralingam participated in SGF 2012 and 2014, as well as Gardeners’ Day Out. He actively garners support across grassroots to set up community gardens, and tirelessly engages new community gardeners.

2014 CIB Ambassadors

Ben Thum Mun Cheong	Ben is a champion of square foot gardening which he practices in his community garden at Yishun Sapphire Condominium. He incorporates innovations such as introducing rain water harvesting and photovoltaic modules to reduce water and energy consumption in his community garden. A committed and passionate gardener, Ben actively fosters resident bonding activities, conducts gardening talks to VWOs, and has taken part in several CIB activities such as SGF 2012, Gardeners’ Cup 2014 and CIB SG50. His garden received the Best Biodiversity Award for the CIB Awards 2014.
Hamzah Bin Osman	Hamzah is an architectural draftsman and an avid gardener both at home and in Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park allotment garden. Previously, he helped out in setting up an educational garden in Teck Ghee Primary School. He combines his love for architecture with his knowledge of herbs and medicinal plants acquired from his grandmother to plant and beautify his gardens with upcycling materials. He has incorporated nice plant signages for public to learn about the plants. Hamzah is active on social media and often shares his knowledge of gardening with others online. He is also a strong supporter of indoor gardening and has developed many innovative green ideas which can be implemented in high-rise homes and small spaces.
James Lam Mong Wai	James is an irrigation designer whose expertise lies in irrigation system designs and landscaping with a focus in vegetable, herbs and fruit trees. He actively promotes organic vegetable farming for high-rise dwellers using low-cost innovative vertical models and growing media. With 20 years of gardening involvement, James is a frequent speaker at Gardeners’ Day Out, VWOs, schools and other organisations. His talks cover topics like plant growth lights for indoor plants, and the science behind growing high yield vegetables in small spaces.
Jennifer Tan Swee Eng	Jennifer is the Vice-Principal at Yishun Junior College (YJC). Before this, she was the Vice-Principle at Bedok View Secondary School (BVSS) where she pioneered rooftop farming at BVSS to grow vegetables. As a result of strong outreach skills, she successfully sustained the school’s urban farm which has become a model for other schools. BVSS’ urban farm raises funds for needy kids in the school from the sale of vegetables grown. Jennifer adopted farming knowledge into the school curriculum (soil, pest management, composting, making organic pest repellents, etc). She is always willing to share her time and knowledge to grow interest in gardening to adults and children alike.
John Hou Chin Yong	John Hou from the pioneer generation actively uses his wide-ranging knowledge of Horticulture and Landscape Management, to design highly aesthetically pleasing and functional community gardens. He has been instrumental in helping many community groups in South West CDC. He sits on the Executive Committee of Bukit Batok Zone 2 Residents’ Committee and is also the Garden Leader of Cozy Garden which won the CIB Excellence Award 2014 for Best New Community Garden in the public estate category.
Bucktha Seelan	Before pursuing his phD in curriculum in 2015, Bucktha Seelan was the Principal of Zhonghua Primary School and has set up gardens in both Tanjong Katong Primary and Zhonghua Primary. He provides advice to schools and organisations in setting up their gardens while also sharing gardening knowledge with school staff, students and parents. A passionate and experienced gardener, from growing herbs and ornamentals to hydroponics, Bucktha Seelan spearheaded the extensive and bio-diverse community garden in Zhonghua Primary School which won the 2014 CIB Excellence Award for Best Community Garden. He is a strong advocate of biodiversity and living in harmony with nature, and places a strong emphasis on recycling.
Zuhir Bin Taib	Zuhir is the leader of Tampines Starlight Garden who led it to achieve a CIB Diamond status in 2014 for obtaining three Platinum Awards consecutively. He has participated in numerous gardening related events such as Gardeners’ Cup, Earth Day, Clean and Green Singapore, Singapore Garden Festival and World Orchid Conference. He is active in helping to design and set up community gardens in the North-East CDC.

2013 CIB Ambassadors

Oh Kee Swee	"I love to teach children about gardening as I believe in cultivating in the younger generation an interest in caring for nature and an understanding of where their food comes from." Mr Oh Kee Swee, also known as “Ah Swee”, has been helping community gardens in Sembawang since 2006. To interest students in gardening and the origin of their food, he designed a vegetable-growing programme in which students sow seeds and take care of their crops until they are ready to harvest. Watching the students enjoying their self-grown vegetables for the first time in their lives is a satisfying experience for Mr Oh.
Tan Thean Teng	“Herb gardens can beautify the estate and also benefit people’s wellbeing!” Mr Tan started the Nanyang Zone 2 Residents’ Committee (RC) herb garden in 2005. His strong interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) stems from his childhood, when he watched his mum grow herbs and prepare herbal remedies. To expand his knowledge in medicinal herbs, he reads widely, attends forums and interacts with researchers. Beyond his garden, Mr Tan has inspired several community groups in the Nanyang estate to start their own herb gardens, sharing not only plants but also knowledge with these groups. One of these is the herb garden at the Nanyang Technological University campus, which is taken care of by volunteers studying TCM.
Choo Kim Poh	“Gardening is therapeutic and there is no age barrier. It is a source of inspiration and relaxation.” Mrs Choo can be described as a “fire starter”. Her enthusiasm and energy for the green movement have motivated others, especially the youth, to be interested in gardening and nature.She is the pillar of the “Go Green” movement in the Braddell Heights area, having initiated and supported a variety of greening and community gardening projects. Through her tireless effort and contribution, 34 volunteers of various ages and backgrounds have been trained to conduct terrarium gardening workshops.
Wendy Tan Wan Li	“Gardening comes naturally to me. The joy of sharing home grown herbs with fellow neighbours and friends is very therapeutic.” Wendy is self employed and has been the driving force behind several community gardens in Sennett Estate where she lives, including plantings along roadsides and at St John’s Home for Elderly Persons.Gardening comes naturally to Wendy. She was influenced by her mother, who was a great gardener, and spent her childhood surrounded by beautiful and lush gardens. Today, she also enjoys sharing her knowledge in the niche field of vermi-composting.
Joseph Wee En Pei	“Gardening, a fun and purposeful activity for all!” When Joseph noticed an empty plot of land at his school, Junyuan Secondary School, he initiated and spearheaded a pilot herb and spice garden. Joseph’s passion as a young horticulturist makes him an example to others, and he shares his knowledge with teachers and schoolmates using educational slides that he prepared himself. He also returns to the garden during the school holidays to tend to the plants.
Lim Keng Tiong	“I treasure nature and love transforming the garden through creativity and fun activities. Let residents learn about nature through volunteering!” Mr Lim is a friendly and resourceful man who spends most of his time taking care of the plants in Punggol Coral RC garden. Despite being in his seventies, his vitality and enthusiasm is contagious as he spreads his love for gardening in Punggol through workshops and events. Mr Lim is a strong advocate of neighbourliness, and believes that gardening instils ownership among residents.

2012 CIB Ambassadors

Allen Ang

Ang Aik Leng Allen

"Greenery plays an important role within the built environment and the community at large. Beyond its aesthetic function of enhancing interior and exterior spaces, it serves a larger utilitarian purpose of being our city state's 'green lungs'. Community gardening in particular also has the capacity to promote greater environment ownership and social values."

Allen is a dedicated advocate for environmental consciousness and has been crucial in articulating the benefits of greenery in development projects. He believes that greenery and gardening directly affect the quality of life in any place, and so he has made part of his mission the implementation of as much greenery as possible in new developments. Allen is also an active grassroots leader in the NorthWest CDC, and is especially interested in promoting greenery and sustainability among youths.

Kirtida Mekani

"As a child, the wonder of nature, and my life, unfolded through the joy of gardening. In these moments, I learnt how intertwined our lives were with nature; from the air we breathe, to the food we eat, to every pleasant detail of our lives. It is my hope that through gardening, more of us in Singapore may discover the bounty of nature, and a piece of ourselves, on this journey."

Mrs Mekani is a long-time supporter of Community In Bloom. She was instrumental in helping to strategise the way forward for CIB since its inception, and regularly shared ideas on sustaining the programme. With her approachable yet dynamic personality, she has won over many organization to contribute to the national gardening movement, and made gardening a more acceptable activity among many sectors of the community.

Mohd Fairus

Mohd Fairus Abdul Manaf

"I love the fact that gardening is an activity that can bring young and old, and neighbours of different race and religion together."

Fairus is the influential ambassador for Community In Bloom who has initiated and facilitated members of the community of all races and backgrounds to collaborate and plant the garden at Al-Mukminin mosque in Jurong. He believes that gardening exerts a positive influence on youths and uses it as a common platform for people from various ethnic and religious backgrounds to bond.

Tan Wai Loon

Wai Loon is a shining example of the transformative power of gardening. Through gardening, he became a cheerful, outgoing person. More impressively, in discovering his lovefor plants, he has managed to overcome his disabilities to become an assistant trainer at the Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN) Centre for Adults, through the use of basic sign language and graphical signs to teach others with intellectual disabilities the gardening and landscaping skills that he now possesses. His cheerful demeanour and infectious smile makes the joy of gardening clear to anyone who sees him at work.

Tian How Ming

"I get a great sense of satisfaction from seeing others succeed in growing the plants that they love!"

"Tian", as he is known familiarly, is a passionate and tireless plant lover who spreads his gardening know-how far and wide, through both an active online presence and unceasing footwork. He has travelled to many parts of Singapore to talk to new community garden groups, helping them to set up gardens, grow orchids and construct their own recycled planting beds. With his friendly nature, he has easily made many new friends in the gardening fraternity and is a vital source of contacting plant lovers of all sorts.

Tony Yau

Tony Yau Tong Ngee

"Gardening gives me great pleasure. By sharing and spreading the love of gardening, others get to feel that pleasure, and in turn my own pleasure also increases manifold."

"Uncle Tony" actively spreads the art of kokedama (a type of Japanese plant arrangement) in Singapore, and has helped many schools with their gardening projects, teaching both students and teachers about gardening. Equipped with good selling skills honed through years of running a business, he reaches out to them to share gardening knowledge and help instill a love for nature.

2011 CIB Ambassadors

Ismail Bin Haji Suratman	"A garden is a perfect place for the three elements to come together harmoniously - people, plants and animals. This beautiful relationship can be seen in well-kept community gardens where gardeners are active, plants are thriving, and birds and butterflies roam about freely." Ismail believes in the virtues of gardening as a community. As Chairman of Tampines Starlight Residents' Committee, he inspired his neighbours to rejuvenate the Starlight Harmony garden at Street 71, from its rudimentary beginnings into one that is a beacon for others within and outside of Tampines. He and his neighbours have helped promoted gardening through many gatherings, roadshows and seminars. These helped raise interest and skills in gardening while keeping neighbours bonded together.
Jimmy Oh	"Plants have given me an opportunity to give back to society by sharing my knowledge with gardeners, and helping them to enjoy gardening better. I am passionate about it." Jimmy puts people at ease through his warm and jovial personality. He is skilled at identifying pests and diseases that infect plants – a common challenge to many gardeners here. As a 'plant doctor', he helps diagnose these problems and recommends practical solutions at overcoming them. He takes on this role readily and sees it as an important one that helps sustain interest in gardening among the community. As an active grassroots volunteer at Choa Chu Kang, he regularly sets up 'plant clinics' there to help keep gardeners happy.
Ng Jia Wei	"Gardening as a community is about sharing the joy and happiness – through appreciating the beauty of nature. Not only does it help bond people, it cultivates many values such as patience and responsibility. It is a fulfilling hobby!" At 13, Jia Wei is the youngest CIB Ambassador. His love for plants started from watching his parents grow orchids at home. As an active community gardener at Woodgrove Zone 2 Residents' Committee, he welcomes visitors to his garden, and is a big brother to kids from a nearby kindergarten who frequents the garden to learn about plants. His enthusiasm and cheerfulness is a source of inspiration to his friends and fellow gardeners who look up to him for new ideas about plants and gardening.
Rosita Mary Cedillo	"Gardening makes one feel in tune with mother nature. It is therapeutic and comforting to be in the garden working with the soil and looking at the plants sway in the wind" Rosita is an icon of a sustained gardener, having been involved in gardening at Marine Crescent Ville's 'Kitchen Garden' for almost 10 years. She is a kind-hearted person who has actively promoted gardening through many community events and Garden Festivals since the start of CIB. As an experienced gardener, she is generous with sharing gardening tips and even plant samples to others who are keen to learn. Her open-concept kitchen garden at Marine Crescent epitomises her spirit of sharing with everyone.
Salbiah Bte Osman	"Gardening lets us see the beauty of nature around us. Green trees freshen the air and flowers warm one's heart & soul with the myriad of colours" Salbiah has been actively helping to promote gardening for many years at community events and Garden Festivals since the start of CIB. As a dedicated grassroots volunteer involved in other activities, gardening is her main inspiration. Although she has moved to Tampines, she returns regularly to her community garden at Woodlands Street 82. There, she continues to welcome visitors young and old to show them how to enjoy gardening. She explains patiently and eloquently and makes it a point that they leave the garden with pleasant memories.
Victor Poh	"Y-Green Fingers has enabled me to be reflective about the work that I do. Seeing plants grow and flowers blossom is satisfying and is a reminder of appreciating life in the simplest form." Victor is the coordinator for 'Y-Green Fingers' program at YMCA, through which he picked up gardening skills. He specialises in helping under-privileged members of society and youths-at-risk by using gardening as a medium to uplift them. Victor leads over 400 corporate volunteers to help sustain gardens at several charitable organisations. His charisma and dedication help keep interest in gardening alive among residents in the charities and among the volunteers who want to give back to society.

2010 CIB Ambassadors

Anjalai Ammal	"Plants & people have a most beautiful relationship - when we care for them, we are in effect nurturing our very selves" As a senior horticulturist with the town council, Anjali is in charge of the maintenance for the greenery in her area. However, because of her passion for gardening, she has gone the extra mile to help and support the creation of 36 community gardens within the Tampines area in the past 7 years. She is a pioneer in the community gardening movement in Tampines, and due to her commitment and dedication, many of the gardens have emerged top winners in the biennial Community In Bloom (CIB) awards. With her humility, patience and dedication, she has not only been a source of encouragement for her gardeners, but also an inspiration to the community at large.
Lynnette Terh	"Everyone can grow something – you don't need to be a genius, or have green fingers. All you really need, is to find the suitable plant that can thrive in your growing environment, and one that can suit your lifestyle needs - and you have It!" A legal secretary by profession, Lynnette uses her spare time to spread the love for gardening through conventional methods such as road-shows, events, as well as through blogs and online gardening forums (e.g. Green Culture Singapore). Apart from connecting with residents through community gardening, she is also noted for her versatility as she is also able to link up with the younger generation of tech-savvy specialist gardeners, both local and overseas, due her immense amount of specialized knowledge on air plants. She is passionate about promoting community gardening and is working towards raising the standards of community gardening within the Punggol North Cluster through better collaboration with the other gardens in the area.
Wendy Looi	"Gardening is more than about just growing plants: it is immensely important as it can teach our young about responsibility, discipline and commitment, and to help build their character" One of the pioneers for incorporating the concept of recycling into school gardens, the 'recycled bottled gardens' concept that was first showcased at the Jurong Primary has been widely replicated by other schools. Passionate about community gardening and the environment, Wendy has, with the support of her school, gone on to help create a medicinal herbs garden within the school to grow chinese herbs that is given away to the Chung Hwa Free Clinic at Woodlands. She has also been involved in setting up many new gardens in schools, and her latest involvement includes a project that aims to attract butterflies into the heart of orchard road through the creation of a butterfly friendly garden at the open space next to the Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.
Yeap Khek Teong	"Gardening is about having fun growing things in the soil, invoking our senses, getting dirty without feeling guilty and spending time to enjoy the peace and serenity around us." As Vice President of Quality Safety & Security Control at ST Kinetics an arm of its parent organisation ST Engineering, Mr Yeap has initiated the formation of 5 gardening clubs within ST Engineering by actively encouraging and facilitating staff to take part in gardening and activities that will benefit the environment. He is also passionate and committed to promoting community gardening despite his heavy work commitments as a member of the Senior management in the organization, and staff will often find him gardening alongside them, apart from planning and driving the activities. As a result of his dedication and encouragement, more than 100 staff have taken up community gardening, and the gardens in his organization have achieved Platinum, Gold and Silver winners in the biennial Community In Bloom (CIB) awards despite being relatively new set ups. He is a role model for his counterparts in other organizations and MNCs as he is always willing to share and lead by example.
Yip Foong Yee	"There are no shortcuts or magic formulae to gardening – beautiful gardens are a product of sheer hard work and passion" Mrs Yip, affectionately known as Yippy, is the main driving and rallying force behind the CIB movement at Seletar Hills West estate. With her dedication and commitment, she has personally inspired many residents within the estate to take on gardening. She is committed and dedicated and has participated in almost every major event as well as road-shows organized by the grassroots to in promoting a love for gardening, and has won many awards in garden design competitions, including the 3rd prize in the Gardener's Cup award at Singapore Garden Festival 2010. Her enthusiasm, optimism and friendly nature has won her immense rapport with residents and has inspired many in the community at large to take up gardening as a hobby.

2009 CIB Ambassadors

Albert Quek	"Gardening is a real stress buster; it gives us a break from the rush of life" Mr Albert Quek is a very enthusiastic person who has great initiative. He single-handly set up DIY Vertical Garden at Singapore Garden Festival 08. His family members are just as passionate as him, together, they participated in the festival over 8 days. Working in an Engineering company, his interest for engineered green walls is reflected through his talks at SICEX 2009 and his DIY vertical garden. In addition, he helped promote gardening to MNC and corporations and convince them that gardening can help in staff productivity.
Gina Ong Liat Wah	"The satisfying and proud feeling of being able to harvest fresh herbs and vegetables for your cooking, and flowers for your table setting is simply fantastic!" Mdm Gina Ong Liat Wah is an energetic and driven lady. She successfully galvanised and led her neighbours at Marine Crescent and Laguna Park to initiate and sustain their own Award winning gardening projects which positively impacted the two communities. The two gardens were used as fine examples for others to model after it. In addition, her creativity is evident from roadshow displays that help created enormous awareness.
Richmond Tan	"You don't need to be botanist to do gardening, just like you don't need to be engineer in order to use a mobile phone." Richmond captured the attention of the young curious minds by introducing carnivorous plants through his outreach initiatives. His gardening blog is a platform for knowledge sharing about gardening and an avenue to broadcast his knowledge and skill in gardening. His continuous effort to promote gardening among young people will create a more appreciative future generation.
Sharif Ahmad Jusuf	"Gardening together is a great way for people of all races and culture to get to know each other better" Sharif led a pioneering community gardening project in a Mosque. His work has inspired many other organizations to embark on similar projects. He also promotes inter-religion communication by welcoming visitors to view his garden in the mosque. In addition, he conducts talks for diverse interest groups to promote gardening.

2008 CIB Ambassadors

Kamisah Bte Atan	"Gardening brings back the 'kampung' spirit" Kamisah Bte Atan is the chairperson of the gardening club of Jurong Central Zone "G" Residents' Committee. A housewife who finds time to help others, her passion for gardening motivated her to travel daily from her home in Bukit Panjang to her community garden in Jurong. Her amiable personality won over many HDB dwellers to take up gardening. As such she is an indispensable leader to her team of octogenarian gardeners. Kamisah worked hard to overcome her language difficulties and writing skills to write blog articles in encouragement to her fellow gardeners.
Normala Bte Alias	"Plants bring life and joy…Love them! Treasure them!" Normala Bte Alias is a teacher and the chairperson of the Environmental Committee in Kranji Secondary School. She set up a resource centre for native plants in her school which benefited the communities in the South West area. She demonstrated that schools could make use of their gardens for fun and engaging learning. Normala harnessed her students' creativity to make the school a centre of attraction during events and activities that helped to promote the love for gardening.
Philip Li	"I realised that plants are just like my students, it is what we perceive that restricts them" Philip Li is the programme coordinator of The Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN). Philip started out as a chef with no gardening knowledge. In spite of that, he struggled to incorporate gardening into rehabilitation programmes to integrate the intellectually-challenged into the working society. Through the learning process, Philip taught and helped many to set up their own gardens and demonstrated that gardens need not be expensive by using discarded, recycled materials to do up his award winning garden.
Richard Ashworth	"It's a pleasure to see plants germinate and bloom into flowers!" Richard Ashworth is the chairperson of the landscaping committee of Ivory Heights Condominium. He endeavored to transformed what was once a wilting garden into a blooming one that attracted visitors from as far as Japan and Australia. A sculptor in practice, he used his innovative work to enhance his exemplary garden, and inspired others to improve the standard of garden quality and aesthetics.
Rosalind Tan	"It's my duty to spread the green message" Rosalind Tan is the chairperson of the gardening group and member of the green committee in Alexandra Hospital. She demonstrated how institutions and organisations could turn workplaces into gardens. In the process she influenced a wide range of groups who also became award winners for their gardens. Rosalind created a niche out of using the hospital as an icon, to spread the gardening message.
Wilson Wong	"Gardening is for everyone" Wilson Wong is the founder and administrator of Green Culture Singapore. He created channels for people to learn about plants and gardening through his blogs, articles, forums and media appearances with a far reaching national audience. This started a buzz within the gardening fraternity with a whole new community of online gardeners.