Tim Smit
Sir Tim Smit Eden Project | |
---|---|
Spouse |
Candy Pinsent
(m. 1978, divorced) |
Children | 4 |
Sir Timothy Bartel Smit
Early life
Tim Smit was born in
Career
He worked as an archaeologist before working as both a songwriter and producer receiving seven platinum and gold discs.
In 1987 he moved with his family to Cornwall and became involved with Rob Poole, John Nelson and
With architect
Smit's book about the creation of the Eden Project, Eden, was published in 2001 and updated on the 10th anniversary of the opening in March 2011.
Smit was appointed an honorary
Smit has been outspoken in his views on issues such as social enterprise and entrepreneurship. In a 2008 interview, he said:
Britain is crap at being entrepreneurial because (a) it's a risk averse country, and (b) the stigma of failure is so high that if you fail you're considered to be a loser. Entrepreneurism is a word that has been stolen by people who don't understand it. The truth is that people who are entrepreneurial take risks, and risk is something that is un-British, and if you're successful with it they'll hate you for it.[7]
In the early 21st century, Smit became a Social Enterprise Ambassador.[8]
He was the subject of
Smit was appointed Honorary
In November 2016, Smit was awarded an honorary Doctor of Education degree by Bournemouth University.[11]
Smit is one of the backers of the Eden Westwood project, a joint project between the Eden Project and developers Westwood to build a 175 acre (71 hectares) leisure and tourism destination at Junction 27 of the M5 in Devon. The development was included in the Mid Devon Local Plan which was adopted in July 2020.[12][13] In January 2021 Smit submitted plans for a development in Lostwithiel consisting of an orchard with 3,000 fruit trees, a pottage garden, a multi-use building with cookery school, microbrewery, distillery, cider press and 20 accommodation units.[14]
Politics
In August 2014, Smit was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.[15]
Prior to the 2015 UK general election, he was one of several celebrities who endorsed the parliamentary candidacy of the Green Party's Caroline Lucas.[16]
Portraits of Smit
The
Controversy
In 2004, Eden Project co-founder Jonathan Ball won over £1.8m in damages from the law firm Druces & Attlee, which the High Court found had failed to secure Ball's just financial reward when he left the project in 1997.[19]
In February 2022, Smit criticised what he regarded as the backward-looking tendency of some Cornish people.[20]
References
- ^ "Birthdays". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media. 25 September 2014. p. 43.
- ^ Nicolson, Adam (24 February 2001). "Brave new worlds". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 April 2022.(subscription required)
- ^ Smit, Tim (27 October 2009). "Three men who changed me". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ a b "TIM SMIT KBE, SIR | Co-Founder of the Eden Project". Personally Speaking Bureau. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.[self-published source?]
- ISSN 1475-1704. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
- ^ Jeff Gill (7 October 2003). "Lord Lloyd of Kilgerran Award Lecture – Summary" (PDF). Retrieved 28 July 2010.
- ^ "Business television show - Celebrity Entrepreneurs 5: What it takes to succeed". www.yourbusinesschannel.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2009.
- ^ "Social Enterprise Ambassadors". The National Archives. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Honorary knighthood for Eden Project boss". BBC News. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "No. 60173". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 June 2012. p. 32.
- ^ "Faculty of Management celebrates its new 2016 graduates". Bournemouth University. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ Clark, Daniel (20 July 2020). "Surf lake beside the M5 in Devon is getting closer". DevonLive. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Eden Project heads "Westwood" into Devon". Eden Project (Press release). 4 December 2014.[dead link]
- ^ "Eden Project's Tim Smit plans cookery school in Lostwithiel". BBC News. 19 January 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories". The Guardian. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ Elgot, Jessica (24 April 2015). "Celebrities sign statement of support for Caroline Lucas – but not the Greens". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Tim Smit (1954-)". National Portrait Gallery. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011.
- ^ "portrait of Tim Smit (2009)". jonedgar.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ "Damages win for Eden co-founder". BBC News. 17 June 2004. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ Morris, Steven (16 February 2022). "Eden Project co-founder under fire for rant about Cornish people". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
External links
- Patron of Educational Wealth Fund (2018)
- Tim Smit – A new eden talk at the Royal Society
- BBC Four profile of Tim Smit
- Tim Smit on BBC's Desert Island Discs
- Tim Smit: Garden of Wales is a National Treasure
- Social Enterprise Coalition
- Eden Project website profile of Tim Smit
- profile/interview of Smit by Fran Monks; How to Make a Difference
- Tim Smit discography at Discogs