Edible Guernsey is hosting the Great Guernsey Seed Swap at the Edible Vinery, Rue des Heches (the former Sandpiper Nursery), from 14:00 to 17:00.  

It’s the brainchild of Lizzie Roper, an actor who returned to the island to be with her family ahead of lockdown and is still here enjoying life. 

“In February 2020, as Covid-19 seemed to be getting ever nearer, I didn’t want to be cut off from my sister and mother here in St Peter Port so came over to escape for a few weeks," said Ms Roper. "And over a year later, luckily for me, I’m still here on this beautiful island. 

“I threw myself into gardening to grow vegetables at the start of the pandemic and solidified my love affair with Guernsey.” 

Pictured: Exchange seeds or get advice from fellow growers at the Great Guernsey Seed Swap.

Ms Roper set up a seed swap group on Facebook and has now teamed up with Edible Guernsey “who are doing amazing things bringing a disused industrial greenhouse back to life,” she said. 

“They have community veg gardens, plots to rent for individual gardeners, a food forest, and so much more besides. They have even chopped up the old log flume from Beau Sejour into huge raised beds that are now wheelchair accessible.” 

Ms Roper has a surname familiar to anyone involved with politics and finance in Guernsey: her late father, John, was a Deputy and the first Director-General of the Guernsey Financial Services Commission. 

Ms Roper has numerous TV, radio and West End credits to her name, including Hollyoaks, Shameless and Casualty. She has performed opposite Christian Slater, Dominic Cooper, Alan Davies and Bill Bailey among many others. 

In 2019 Ms Roper toured the UK with Grumpy Old Women with Jenny Eclair. She is also a voice-over artist and has co-hosted on radio with Jason Manford on Virgin Radio, and Jenny Eclair and Michael Macintyre on LBC, and she used to host drivetime on Liberty Radio. 

Pictured top: Actor Lizzie Roper planted a social media group and will harvest a full-size seed swap at Edible Guernsey.