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Tayshan Hayden-Smith
Tayshan Hayden-Smith, sometimes referred to as The Grenfell Guerrilla Gardener, is a semi professional footballer turned community gardener. Born and raised in North Kensington, he has worked to bring life to his community surrounding the Grenfell Tower amongst other green spaces in the local area by initiating the ‘Grenfell Garden of Peace’. Tayshan is available as a speaker and is an expert on topics such as gardening, nature and how these can unite communities.
About Tayshan Hayden-Smith
Tayshan Hayden-Smith founded the Grow2Know project at just 23 years old, a project focused on ‘greening up’ local spaces and inspiring new generations of gardeners by breaking down stereotypes. He is passionate about how these green spaces can help those in search of tranquillity and peace in times of adversity. In May 2022, Tayshan showcased his first garden at The Chelsea Flower Show. The Hands off Mangrove garden by Grow2Know pays tribute to the Mangrove Nine, who stood up to racial injustice in the 1970s.
Tayshan Hayden-Smith spearheaded a 3-year partnership with Penguin Random House. The purpose-driven initiative will green-up disused spaces by creating Peter Rabbit™ gardens for communities across the UK, continuing Beatrix Potter’s legacy of conservation.
Bright and ambitious, Tayshan is embarking on other projects which will help his community and give others positive experiences within their surroundings. Tayshan has recently been appointed a director of what will be known as Maxilla City CIC, which will completely reshape a massive, unused, derelict building into a functioning, creative, safe space for community members – especially young people. Having experienced an increased lack of services & opportunity growing up, Tayshan is extremely passionate about changing the bleak & harsh outlook on life many young people face in the evolving world we live in.
Tayshan plays a pivotal part and is one of the senior members for the YouTube football team, Rising ballers. Over the last few years, through rising ballers, Tayshan has worked on projects with many influential brands and people – Nike, Adidas, Copa90, Anthony Joshua, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to name a few.
Tayshan’s dream is to help his community to become self-sustainable and empowered; and to find spaces in which they can function and unify. Gardening is a great space to do this. Concerned about gentrification, particularly where community spaces and assets are being sold-off or closed down, Tayshan is hugely motivated in his work by this concern.
Tayshan lives with his partner and their two young children.
- Community Gardening
- Nature
- Sustainability and conservation
