Mum starts 'young growers club' after son's death

A mother who found a passion for gardening after her son died has taken to social media to teach others.

Laura Mathurin has been using TikTok to teach children and families how to grow their own produce.

Ms Mathurin's son, Arlo, died when he was just 27 weeks in 2017 and her grandmother inspired her to start growing produce to help with her grief.

In an interview with BBC Three Counties Radio, she said she "started to fall in love with growing food" and teaching young people and families how grow their own food.

Ms Mathurin started gardening about 10 years ago but rediscovered her passion for it again after Arlo died.

She said: "I was 27 weeks pregnant at the time but unfortunately he was quite poorly and he didn't survive.

"I had some spare time and it was actually my grandmother who said to me 'why don't you start growing stuff in your garden?'."

As well as sharing her tips on social media, she has started gardening sessions in Bedfordshire.

She hopes to inspire the young people and families who come along to grow their own food.

On video sharing platform TikTok she has more than 14,000 followers and just under 90,000 "likes".

She said: "The TikTok started because I wanted to reach more people, share my knowledge and I think there is a growing community for gardeners and food growers online.

"I think 'what would I have wanted to know 10-years-ago when I started out?'."

She also recently featured in the Gardeners' World magazine, talking about working with young people about growing food.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.