CELEBRITY gardener Alan Titchmarsh has been named as the University of Winchester’s new Chancellor.

Former Lord-Lieutenant for Hampshire, Dame Mary Fagan, will be stepping down from her eight-year role at the university at the end of this academic year.

Alan will take over from Dame Fagan on August 1, 2015.

The 65-year-old was given an MBE for services to horticulture and broadcasting in the 2000 New Year Honours list and he became a Deputy Lieutenant for Hampshire in 2001.

In 2004, Alan was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s highest accolade – the Victoria Medal of Honour – for outstanding services to horticulture and was made the vice president of the society in 2009.

Alan began his career as an apprentice gardener at the age of 15 before going into print and then broadcast journalism.

Since then he has written over 50 gardening books, nine novels and writes regularly in BBC Gardeners' World Magazine and Country Life, as well as being a gardening correspondent for the Daily Express and Sunday Express.

He also has a weekly comment page in the Sunday Telegraph and there have been 15 series of his ITV1 chat programme The Alan Titchmarsh Show.

Alan said: “I am delighted to have been asked to become the next Chancellor of the University of Winchester. I have long admired the university's ethos and reputation and I look forward to a long and happy association. I feel hugely honoured.”

Dame Fagan will continue her connection with the university as Chancellor Emeritus.

She added: “It has been a privilege to be so closely associated with the University of Winchester for the past eight years.

“The university has grown from strength to strength largely due to the inspiration of Vice-Chancellor Joy Carter and her team, both in the significance of its academic research and the successes of its students.

“I am delighted with the appointment of Alan Titchmarsh as my successor and I am sure he will be a splendid Chancellor.”