Home grown success for Reaseheath horticulturists

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Reaseheath College horticultural students were feeling chipper after taking part in a First Early Potato Show, held at the Nantwich college on Saturday.

Thirty Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Level 2  certificate students demonstrated their skills at growing the world’s favourite root vegetable – and were rewarded with praise from one of the county’s top vegetable judges.

The students, who attend college one day a week, have been learning horticultural techniques such as how to successfully sow and plant vegetables and how to prepare them for exhibition.  Reaseheath’s Master of Horticulture Harry Delaney, who lectures the groups, hopes that their new knowledge will encourage the students to support the fruit and vegetable shows run within their local communities.

Over 20 varieties of first early potatoes, grown on plots at the college, were on show.  Local allotment holders and gardeners were invited to attend, along with families and fellow students.

Best in Show went to Mary Johnson from Knutsford , who also won the Monday group section with her ’Red Duke of York’ potatoes. Winner of the Friday group section was Mark Bayes of Hazel Grove, Stockport, who exhibited the ‘Swift’ variety.

Second and third places in the Monday group went to Janine  Shaw and Penny Harrison while Niamh Poole  and Richard Hudson-Davies were runners up in the Friday group.

The competition was judged by Derek Jones of Malpas, a well known vegetable exhibitor, judge, horticulturist and historian. He explained: “I was looking for four potatoes which were equally matched in shape, size and colour. They had to be of good quality, of uniform shape, well prepared and typical of the variety.

“The entries showed a great deal of care and attention to detail.  I must congratulate Harry for the innovative way he has encouraged students to improve their gardening skills. Hopefully their enthusiasm and knowledge will help to sustain village shows in the future.”

Reaseheath’s First Early Potato Show was held for the first time last year and was so successful that it is likely to be an annual event.

Said Harry: “This is a fantastic way for our students to translate scientific principles into practical skills into practical skills. I also wanted to take away the mystique surrounding horticultural shows by giving them some show experience at college. The students produced superb displays and gained a lot of satisfaction and personal achievement from their efforts.” ‘’ They certainly experienced the agony and the ecstasy of show exhibiting! ‘’

Around 100 part-time students gain RHS qualifications at Reaseheath each year.  The students include professional horticulturists, career changers and leisure gardeners. Reaseheath is an RHS training and examination centre and offers theory and practical qualifications at Levels 2 and 3.

For further details email suepa@reaseheath.ac.uk.

 

 

Cheshire Show, netball and the Summer Ball

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Over the last week or so there has been yet another monumental effort from the SA working two twelve hours shifts at Cheshire County Show. They managed to earn £610 in donations for St Luke’s Cheshire Hospice which is a great addition to our standing total.

Also last week there was a mini netball tournament between male and female staff and students, with the staff coming out on top overall. We managed to raise £24.50 which again has been added to our total.

Summer ball is finally here! The meal has now been changed to a BBQ which we feel is more in tune with the festival theme. The last England match will be shown in the bar as well with the bar being open from 5pm.

This is the end of another year at Reaseheath College, it has been a pleasure being your SA president, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my role this year and have met so many new people that have made the experience great. Wish everyone the very best in the future!

Check in next year!

Sam Norfolk
SA President

Reaseheath students pipped at the post in Barclays Money Skills final

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An inspirational idea for a mobile phone app earned Reaseheath College, Nantwich, equine students second place in the national finals of a business enterprise competition.

Emily Bancroft and April Macleod, both 17, and 16 year-old Eve Baker presented their business plan before a panel of judges at the Barclays Bank Head Offices in Canary Wharf, London, last Friday (13 June). Fellow student Emma Penn, 17, also contributed to the idea but did not accompany the team to London.

Just eight entries out of over 400 were selected for the final, which was the culmination of Barclays ‘Built for Business’ competition. The challenge was one of a number of activities offered to all Reaseheath’s further education students during a week long  Barclays Money Skills programme, which helps young people to develop their money management, employability and enterprise skills..

The Level 3 Horse Management students suggested launching a mobile phone app which would notify them about timetable changes and outstanding assignments and offer an alternative communication with lecturers. Colleges, universities and schools would subscribe annually to the service, which would be available free for all students.

The team travelled to London to pitch their idea to judges including Chris Hearn, Head of Education at Barclays and Sylvia Perrins, CEO of The National Skills Academy for Financial Services, which supports the programme. They also joined other finalists at a careers workshop on CV writing and interview skills.

Reaseheath’s Level 3 equine students study business as part of their course. Explained Emily: “We decided to use what we’ve already learned to help students organise their life better. We decided a mobile app would be the best way of improving the flow of communication between students and their lecturers.”

Student Welfare Officer Carys Jones, who ran the Barclays Money Skills activities, said: “We were thrilled to have a Reaseheath team shortlisted for the final. Sadly our students were just pipped at the post, but they had a great chance to show off their entrepreneurial skills. Learning opportunities like these are completely in line with our own aim to make our students more employable and to provide them with skills for the future.”

This year 130 UK colleges have run a Barclays Money Skills ‘week’, with around 150,000 students taking part in money management, employability and enterprise themed activities. The programme is supported by over 520 Barclays’ staff volunteers, who work with the students on campus.

 

 

Equine students provide Bolesworth International arena party

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bolesworth grand prix winner

Our equine students did a great job providing the arena party for Bolesworth International last week. Our team of 40 staff and students were on duty in all three showjumping arenas for the four full days of action and loved working alongside world class course designers Bob Ellis and Kelvin Bywater. Bolesworth has invested thousands of pounds to build up this exciting event into a 3 star competition which attracted riders from 13 nations. Riders were delighted with the new international arena, set in an amphitheatre with a surface formerly used for the London 2012 Olympics.

Founder Nina Barbour is now planning to boost the event to 4 star and has already set next year’s dates of 18 – 21 June. She said: “Reaseheath’s arena party were extremely competent and professional. We really appreciated their teamwork, which helped us to deliver showjumping at its highest level.”

Our arena party are pictured applauding William Whitaker, winner of the Redrow Grand Prix and £9,900 in prize money.

 

Making a table

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Alumnus Tony Bramwell recently contacted us with a delightful tale about about his experiences of studying at Reaseheath. Here’s his story:

Console table with two drawers - American walnut with lacewood and ebony inlay

Console table with two drawers – American walnut with lacewood and ebony inlay, by Tony Bramwell

Back in 2011, I signed up for evening classes in Joinery at Reaseheath, with the aim of brushing up on my DIY woodworking skills. I enjoyed the course, so I enrolled in a longer ten week class. Our lecturer, Dave Allman, encouraged us to bring along any ideas. I came to the class with plans for a hall table that my daughter had asked for. Dave was really positive about the project and immediately set about explaining how to make the different joints, where to source the timber and so on. He remained supportive throughout, and the end result was a lovely oak table that I was able to present to my daughter, much to her delight.

Wall-mounted bangle cabinet in cherry wood, Tony Bramwell

Wall-mounted bangle cabinet in cherry wood, by Tony Bramwell

 

 

But something more happened. I found that the three-hour class seemed to be over in an instant as I became completely engrossed in designing, cutting shaping and assembling the timber, supported by Dave’s constant and unwavering enthusiasm.

I realised that this might be the activity I had been looking for as a way of making good use of my forthcoming retirement, and I began to look at the possibility of taking this up as a craft. As a result, immediately after my retirement in 2013 I signed up for a full time one-year course in designing and making fine furniture with a master craftsman near Oxford. This was a wonderful and deeply rewarding experience; you can see two examples of the pieces of furniture I made in the pictures below, and I am now building my own workshop so that I can pursue this wonderful activity full-time.

It all came from a short course in Joinery at Reaseheath, and the wonderful enthusiasm of our lecturer, Dave Allman, to whom I will always be grateful.

Tony Bramwell in his workshop 'making a table' article

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tony Bramwell,  short-course in Joinery, 2011

Inspired by Tony’ story? Find out more about the range short-courses currently on offer in our Construction department here.

 

Reaseheath College wins at Cheshire Show

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Reaseheath College’s action packed exhibition was voted Best Outside Education Stand at this week’s Cheshire Show.

The Nantwich, Cheshire, college took top honours after judges gave it full marks for the enthusiasm of its staff and students and the diversity of activities it offered visitors.

High Sheriff of Cheshire Susan Sellers chats to florists

High Sheriff of Cheshire Susan Sellers chats to florists

Top crowd puller on the stand was a Caterpillar digger which gave visitors the chance to operate the controls to move golf balls and tyres. The digger was on loan from John Bownes of Winsford.

Families also enjoyed riding the college’s mechanical horse, tried boat building with construction students and watched ferret racing. Other activities, under the banner ‘Do Something Different’, included a climbing wall, a model cow which could be milked, a  horticultural quiz, a floristry demonstration, bird box making and a bakery demonstration. Animals from the college’s zoo and a student show garden were also on display.

VIP visitors to the stand included the High Sheriff of Cheshire Susan Sellers, who said: “I have been impressed with the breadth of activities, the knowledge and enthusiasm of staff and the obvious interest they are generating among members of the public.”

2Agriculture students Rebecca Harper, Kirsty Tailor, Liberty Turner and Lydia Diamond show youngstock from Reaseheath Holsteins

Agriculture students Rebecca Harper, Kirsty Tailor, Liberty Turner and Lydia Diamond show youngstock from Reaseheath Holsteins

Reaseheath agriculture students also celebrated success in the cattle show ring by gaining awards in the calf showing and young handler classes. Level 3 Extended Diploma in Agriculture students Rebecca Harper, Kirsty Tailor and Liberty Turner and Level 2 Diploma in Agriculture student Lydia Diamond showed heifers from the Reaseheath Holstein dairy herd.

Marketing Manager Glyn Ferriday said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for us to demonstrate the range of vocational courses we offer. We are very proud of the success of our students and coming to the Cheshire Show each year gives us a great platform to show the public what we can do.”

To see what other shows we’ll be visiting this summer visit our ‘Reaseheath on the Road’ page.

 

Travel beckons for ambitious young farmers

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Rachel Billington and Simon Bonner receive their John Platt Travel Scholarships from Keith Thomas and Reaseheath Principal Meredydd David at the Cheshire Show.

Rachel Billington and Simon Bonner receive their John Platt Travel Scholarships from Keith Thomas and Reaseheath Principal Meredydd David at the Cheshire Show.

Two ambitious young farming entrepreneurs are looking forward to global travel thanks to a scholarship run by Reaseheath College and the Cheshire Agricultural Society.

Rachel Billington and Simon Bonner were presented with £2,000 John Platt Travel Scholarships during the Presidents Lunch at the Cheshire Show on Tuesday. Rachel will use her scholarship to help her gain a professional qualification from Leith’s School of Food and Wine, London, and has a long term plan to  eventually  run a cookery school which will promote British agriculture and the food chain, from field to fork. She will also use her award to travel to other farm diversification schemes.

The 25 year-old is a product development technologist with Goodlife Foods, Warrington, a food manufacturer for major retailers. She previously studied at Harper Adams University for a BSc (Hons) Degree in Agri-food, Marketing and Business Studies and is current lady chairman of Congleton Young Farmers Club. Her family have a dairy farm in Siddington near Macclesfield.

Rachel said: “I am delighted to receive the scholarship. It will give me a fantastic opportunity to learn new skills and to meet others who are successfully running on- farm diversification businesses.”

Simon, 26, is assistant herdsman at Bankhead Farm, Broxton, a 240 cow, autumn calving, pasture-based dairy farm on the Bolesworth Estate. He will use his scholarship to visit New Zealand and Ireland to compare pasture-based dairy systems with those in the UK, in particular examining the opportunities and constraints for wealth creation and profit from grass.

Simon has a BSc (Hons) Degree in Agriculture with Countryside Management and worked on dairy farms in New Zealand after graduating. He also spent a year with Rhys Williams, one of the UK’s leading exponents of milk production from grazed grass, who farms near Aberdaron in north west Wales.

Simon comes from Hale Barns, Altrincham, and has always wanted to farm although he does not have an agricultural background. He said: “It’s an honour to be awarded this scholarship. I plan to use the opportunity to enhance my knowledge of the pasture-based dairy industry and learn how to get the best from grass.”

The John Platt scholarship is in memory of John Platt, a former Chair of Reaseheath Governors and former Chairman, President and Honorary Life Warden of the Cheshire Agricultural Society.

Presenting the awards, Cheshire Show Director Keith Thomas said that both Rachel and Simon had been outstanding candidates and had shown the drive, ambition and desire to seek out new information and technology which would benefit the Cheshire farming community.

The John Platt Travel Scholarship is awarded annually and is open to young people from a rural background who live or work in Cheshire. Applications are being taken for next year.

For further details see www.reaseheath.ac.uk/john-platt-scholarship  or email davek@reaseheath.ac.uk

 

Catching up with class of 2011 alumnus Lois Dalton

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DSC_0150

Alumni Officer Katie caught up with former Reaseheath apprentice Lois Dalton earlier this week. Take a look below and find out more about Lois and the world of dog grooming.

Hi Lois,  it’s great to have the opportunity to talk to you, could you tell me what you’re currently up to in your work life?

I am the owner and founder of the company Vanity Furr Dog Grooming  and spend my working days managing the business and as a full-time dog groomer.

Fantastic to hear that you own your own business Lois, can you tell me a little bit more about your role as the owner of Vanity Furr?

On a day-to-day basis; I take grooming appointment bookings, groom and style of all breeds of dogs and provide them with relevant health checks, order stock and generally provide the best customer experience I can for the dogs and their owners.

 When did you start your business?

In August 2013.

 So thinking back to before August 2013, what led you to the creation of Vanity Furr?

After leaving school I completed an apprenticeship at a grooming parlour and boarding kennels as a trainee dog groomer along with gaining my Level 2 Work-based Diploma in Animal Care  qualification from Reaseheath. I went on to achieve my City & Guilds Level 3 professional grooming qualifications in September 2011, achieving distinctions across modules. I  was then awarded a scholarship with leading products brand Aesculap in March 2013, having been nominated by Groom Team England. These invaluable experiences helped develop my professional ability and knowledge of the industry, giving me the confidence to ‘go for it’ and open my own grooming salon, something I’m really proud to be doing.

Lois and THAT West Highland Terrier from the Cesar adverts!

Lois and THAT West Highland Terrier from the Cesar adverts!

And proud you should definitely be! On this point, what do you think has been the most exciting or rewarding moments of your career so far?

 Setting up and starting my own business has been the most rewarding part of my short career so far. I built Vanity Furr from scratch and within quite a short time period it has already developed into a well-known and very well supported little enterprise.

 What inspired you to, as you said “go for it” and create Vanity Furr?

Dog grooming is all I have ever wanted to do. My love, passion and enthusiasm for the dog grooming industry paired with my obsession for perfection and drive for independence meant that having my own business seemed like the obvious path to take.

 

Do you have any advice for current students keen to pursue a dog grooming  related career?Dog-groomer-Lois-and-safe-grooming-environment

Be prepared to work extremely hard!  You don’t get anything in this industry without putting 100% effort into everything you do. The animals always come first no matter what. Never doubt your abilities, and ALWAYS strive to be bigger and better.

Great advice, thanks for that Lois. Just one final question now, you’ve already built up a successful business at just 20 years old, what’s the next goal?

I’m passionate to continue working hard doing the job I love with the intention of expanding Vanity Furr. My ultimate goal is to earn myself a place on Groom Team England.

Visit http://www.vanityfurr-doggrooming.co.uk/to find out more about Lois and Vanity Furr Dog Grooming.

Vanity Furr Dog Grooming

Summer ball is nearly upon us

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Alright guys,

Summer Ball is nearly upon us and we are very nearly sold out of tickets! So if you haven’t got yours yet, make sure you do soon. The meal tickets are also on sale now from the canteen. So if you want to be part of the biggest summer ball meal ever then book your tickets for only £7.00.

The Student Association for next year has now been selected and will be in post from September. You’ll get to know their faces as they will also be on the Fresher’s Crew this September. Elections will be in place from September for new students to assist the in-place SA.

Next week you will see some of the SA at Cheshire Show, where we will be stewarding for the event. In doing this we will gain a donation of £500 to add on to our RAG total for St Luke’s Cheshire Hospice. At the moment we have a projected total of £9700, so look out for events that we can raise £300 at to get to our total of £10,000!

Check in next week for another update.

Sam Norfolk
SA President

Coverage, Open Farm Sunday and the Summer Ball

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Alright guys,

The final issue of ‘Coverage’ for this year will be out soon so keep an eye on your inbox. The student magazine has been really successful and will hopefully continue through to next year as well. I’d really like to thank the members of the Student Association who have helped create the magazine alongside our Press Officer.

Open Farm Sunday was a huge success. It was great to see so many people go away inspired with what the farm and our agriculture department do.

Summer Ball tickets are selling rapidly, we have sold over half the tickets in three days so make sure you get yours fast. The meal tickets are also on sale now and you can purchase those from the canteen during its opening hours. This year we’re allowed 200 students for the meal so let’s make sure we finish the year with a bang and get a sell-out!

Check in next week for another update.

Sam Norfolk
SA President

Summer Ball flyer