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Former deputy prime minister Lord Michael Heseltine explains how he and his wife Anne spent 40 years transforming a wild and overgrown woodland into the magnificent garden they enjoy at their Thenford home today.

Thenford now has an arboretum containing more than 3,500 species of tree and shrub, including rare plants wild-collected by celebrated plantsmen such as Roy Lancaster, Allen Coombes, Keith Rushforth and Chris Chadwell. It is also known for a sculpture garden containing an eclectic collection ranging from a white marble Tazza fountain to an enormous statue of Lenin.

Heseltine was a Conservative MP between 1966 and 2001. He first held a seat in Tavistock and was the member for Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire from 1974 until 2001. He served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, among others as secretary of state for the environment, secretary of state for defence and deputy prime minister. His challenge for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 1990 was unsuccessful but led to the downfall of Thatcher.

This event is part of a festival series on leadership sponsored by HSBC.