The Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA) is deeply saddened by the passing of Dr David Hessayon OBE and pays tribute to his steadfast support and generous sponsorship of the Joan Hessayon Award.

President of the RNA, Sue Moorcroft said: “I’ve been a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association for around a quarter of a century. For a similar time, Dr David Hessayon has generously sponsored our award for new writers, naming it the Joan Hessayon Award in memory of his beloved wife. It was with sadness that I learnt of his passing as he was a true gentleman and always a pleasure to meet.”

Maryam Oliver, who writes as Melissa Oliver and coordinates the Joan Hessayon Award, paid tribute to his work:

“Dr Hessayon was one of this country’s favourite gardening experts with millions of bestselling books under his belt, the success of which he later doubted could ever be repeated due to readily available information on the internet.”

To us at the RNA, he was so much more. As patron and sponsor of the annual Joan Hessayon Award, in honour of his wife Joan who passed away in 2001, he made sure that her legacy of championing new writers gaining their first publishing deal was honoured. Until poor health prevented him from attending many of the RNA’s social functions, he could be seen with a friendly smile and a glass of his favourite tipple at the Summer and Winter parties.

Born on 13^th February 1928, Dr Hessayon grew up as one of five children in Salford, Manchester. He gained his BSc degree in Botany at the University of Leeds. He then travelled to Paris in 1949, where he met his US-born future wife Joan – whom he was so determined to woo that he moved to Missouri. There he worked with her father, as editor of a small-town newspaper and in 1951 he and Joan married. They later travelled to Ghana, where Dr Hessayon held a post as a Research Fellow at the University College. On returning to Manchester, he obtained his PhD in Soil Ecology and by 1955 he had accepted a position as Chief Scientist with Pan Britannica Industries, becoming Chairman in 1972.

Dr Hessayon started the Be Your Own Gardening Expert series in 1958. It was a major innovation in gardening books, coupling illustrations, photos, charts and colourful page layouts with snappy text. It was a masterstroke back in the 1950s and one that has stood the test of time. By 2008 the Expert guides celebrated a staggering 50 millionth copies sold and became the best-selling gardening books in history.

In 1992 Dr Hessayon received the first-ever Lifetime Achievement ‘Oscar’ at the National British Book Awards. He was also awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s Veitch Memorial Medal for his outstanding contribution to the advancement and improvement of the science and practice of horticulture. In 1999 Dr Hessayon was awarded a Guinness World Record Certificate recognising his achievement as ‘the top-selling living author of the 1990s with book sales totalling a world record 10.5 million over the past 10 years’. Other awards followed, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Garden Media Guild, an OBE in 2007 and inclusion in the Daily Mail list of ‘60 truly great Elizabethans’.

Tributes have flooded in, from gardening celebrity Alan Titchmarsh to the Royal Horticultural Society.

Yet with all these glittering awards and accolades bestowed on him, Dr Hessayon was a lovely down- to-earth gentleman. Although I never met him in person, as the Coordinator of the Joan Hessayon Award for the last three and half years, his emails to me were always filled with much warmth and humour. He often said that he’d try to come to the next Joan Hessayon Award presentation, but it was sadly not to be.

He will be much missed by the RNA. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.”

Dr Hessayon passed away on January 16 with his family requesting the announcement of his death be delayed until after his funeral. He is survived by daughters Angelina and Jacqueline, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

The RNA is grateful to his daughter Angelina for her continuing support and sponsorship of the Joan Hessayon Award.

Notes to Editors

• Photo caption: ‘Dr David Hessayon and his beloved wife, Joan’
• Photo credit: ‘photo reproduced with the permission of Dr Hessayon’s family’

About the RNA

The Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA) is the UK’s number one professional membership organisation for writers of romantic fiction. Founded in 1960 to provide a voice for romance authors and to be a network for writers, it continues to raise the prestige of romantic fiction and encourage romantic authorship. Their 1,000+ membership includes writers across the spectrum of commercial and women’s fiction, along with publishing industry professionals, booksellers, and book reviewers. In addition to organising annual publishing awards, they also host a range of workshops, talks, networking events, conferences, and provide support to unpublished authors through their New Writers’ Scheme and Aspiring Writers category.

• For more information about the RNA, please contact: rnapr@romanticwriters.co.uk