Talented landscaper to represent GB in world finals

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Talented Reaseheath College trained landscape gardener Matt Beesley is to represent Britain in the WorldSkills finals in São Paulo, Brazil.

Matt, who heard of his selection last week, joins the GB squad to contest the global, Olympics style final, which runs from 11 – 16 August.

WorldSkills runs the competition bi-annually for students aged 23 and under to showcase the skills and value of young professionals in worldwide industries ranging from construction, engineering technology and transportation to IT and communications and social and personal services.

Off to Sao Paulo: Matt Beesley

Off to Sao Paulo: Matt Beesley

Matt, 21, completed his Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horticulture in 2012. He now runs his own successful business, Beesley’s Landscapes in Winsford, and employs two apprentices. He first competed in the British selection rounds for WorldSkills while a Reaseheath student and has continued to train intensively as a potential squad member, narrowly missing selection for the world finals in Germany in 2013.

In São Paulo he will be one of two British landscapers who will test their skills and stamina in hard landscaping, plant knowledge and management against the world’s best.

The former Hartford High School pupil said: “Competing and training on the WorldSkills programme has been a fantastic experience for me. I have learned so much and gained such a lot of confidence. I’d particularly like to thank my hard landscape instructor at Reaseheath, Jason Hinks, for his support. I’m now totally focused on the world finals. It would be awesome to bring back a medal.”

Said Jason: “I’m really proud of Matt and how he’s developed as a professional landscaper through WorldSkills. This programme is all about benefiting the students through training and helping them to realise their potential.”

Talented landscaper to represent GB in world finals

/in /by

Talented Reaseheath College trained landscape gardener Matt Beesley is to represent Britain in the WorldSkills finals in São Paulo, Brazil.

Matt, who heard of his selection last week, joins the GB squad to contest the global, Olympics style final, which runs from 11 – 16 August.

WorldSkills runs the competition bi-annually for students aged 23 and under to showcase the skills and value of young professionals in worldwide industries ranging from construction, engineering technology and transportation to IT and communications and social and personal services.

Off to Sao Paulo: Matt Beesley

Off to Sao Paulo: Matt Beesley

Matt, 21, completed his Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horticulture at Reaseheath College in Nantwich in 2012. He now runs his own successful business, Beesley’s Landscapes in Winsford, and employs two apprentices. He first competed in the British selection rounds for WorldSkills while a Reaseheath student and has continued to train intensively as a potential squad member, narrowly missing selection for the world finals in Germany in 2013.

In São Paulo he will be one of two British landscapers who will test their skills and stamina in hard landscaping, plant knowledge and management against the world’s best.

Chris Shore Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horticulture competing

Chris Shore Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horticulture competing

The former Hartford High School pupil said: “Competing and training on the WorldSkills programme has been a fantastic experience for me. I have learned so much and gained such a lot of confidence. I’d particularly like to thank my hard landscape instructor at Reaseheath, Jason Hinks, for his support. I’m now totally focused on the world finals. It would be awesome to bring back a medal.”

Said Jason: “I’m really proud of Matt and how he’s developed as a professional landscaper through WorldSkills. This programme is all about benefitting the students through training and helping them to realise their potential.”

Another team of Reaseheath horticulture students have begun the selection process for the GB squad for WorldSkills 2017, which will be held in Abu Dhabi.

Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horticulture first year students India Hill and Finin Talbot and second year student Christopher Shore have got through two elimination rounds which were run by the Association of Professional Landscapers. They will now compete at the three day semi-finals at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park in July,  in hopes of selection for the national final at The Skills Show, NEC Birmingham, in November.

British Wool Shearing Course
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RADA Knowledge Transfer Facilitator Lesley Innes arranged a two day sheep shearing course which was delivered by British Wool Marketing Training Ltd(a growing area of Wool Board activity). The course, which was held last week on the Reasheath sheep unit saw the delegates work toward the internationally recognised qualification in Blue, Bronze, Silver or Gold Seals, which were awarded depending on their ability.

This course will now be running on an annual basis.

Contact Lesley for more information-

Lesleyi@reaseheath.ac.uk

Picture Caption:  Left to Right British wool trainer Richard Schofield, Ollie Bagley (Reaseheath Flock Manager)-SILVER, Richard Petford-BRONZE and Callum Lewis-BLUE (external delegates), British Wool Trainer Bill Jones, Erica Bower (Subsidiary Diploma in Agriculture)-BLUE and front row Miriam Howarth (Reaseheath Farm Secretary)-BLUE and Emma Ferneyhough (Level 2 diploma in Agriculture)-BLUE

From food student to successful bakery lecturer

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Alumnus Sam Copeland took her passion for baking back to the classroom on completing her food technology degree at Reaseheath. Here’s a little insight into her  journey into teaching…

Said Sam: “My passion for baking began at an early age, all starting whilst working as a trainee chef. With my culinary knowledge growing, a friend asked if I could create an engagement cake and I jumped at the opportunity. Gaining some excellent feedback on the cake caught, I the bakery buzz and spent the next few years continuing to learn new techniques and tips before setting up my own cake decorating business, working from home to fit around my ever growing family.”

Sam, now mother of three, balanced her career and family life working full-time as a Catering Manager alongside her own business. When expecting her third baby, Elisabeth, at 20 weeks into the pregnancy she was given the unfortunate news that her baby would be born with Spina bifida.

Sam went on to say: “Before Elisabeth was born I made the decision to become a full-time mum, a stark change from running my own pub and various roles in the catering industry. However, despite her disability, Elisabeth defied the odds and proceeded to attend mainstream nursery and is currently excelling in a mainstream school, Brierley Primary, which is in Crewe.”

sentinel Sam Copeland

Sam Copeland and family

With a little unexpected time on her hands, Sam set her sights returning to education to broaden her knowledge and skill-set in her passion, food. On researching various courses, Sam found that Reaseheath’s food technology foundation degree fitted the bill for her perfectly.

Sam further commented: “I fitted my studies around attending Alder Hey Children’s Hospital with Elisabeth for her appointments and operations. Sometimes I would even take my assignments to do by her bedside whilst she recovered from surgery.”

Excelling during the course, Sam went on to achieve a distinction in her Foundation Degree in 2010 and as a result chose to continue her studies at Reaseheath, graduating with a 2:1 BSc (Hons) Food Technology in 2012. 10 months after graduating, Sam was thrilled to be offered a role within the Food Department at Reaseheath. She now course manages Level 2 bakery and patisserie students along with teaching bakery theory, and her favourite – the cake decorating modules!

Sam Copeland on her graduation day in 2012, with daughter Elisabeth and her husband

Sam Copeland on her graduation day in 2012, with daughter Elisabeth and her husband

 

Said Sam: “The encouragement and pastoral support I received from my tutors gave me the confidence to truly believe I could achieve my degree, it  made me realise just what a special place Reaseheath really is.”

If you’re inspired by Sam’s story and interested in finding out more about studying food related degrees at Reaseheath, take a look at our website. 

Reaseheath College’s dairy technologists celebrate first year success

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Seventeen trainee dairy technologists reached a significant career milestone when they completed the first year of their Eden training programme at Reaseheath College in Nantwich, Cheshire, earlier this month.

The technologists work for leading companies in the dairy industry and attend the Eden International Dairy Academy for block release training, spending the rest of their time in their workplace. They will graduate with a globally recognised foundation degree in dairy technology on completion of their three year course. The unique education initiative is supported by key players in the dairy industry and is aimed at producing world-class staff. There are currently 54 trainees on the programme.

While at college, the technologists develop practical dairy processing  skills in Reaseheath’s industry-standard, food and dairy processing plant. The facilities enable the students to see food production from start to finish and also to carry out new product development.

Three of the first year cohort were in line for special honours as they celebrated completing their initial year of study.

Mark Panczak, who works for Arla Foods, was selected as the Best Practical Student, while Richard Jeeves, also from Arla, received the Best Academic Student award.

Kerena Edwards, a Dairy Crest employee,was voted the Dairy Culture Student of the Year after receiving the student vote for the way she represents the Eden values of excellence.

The awards were presented by Nick Blakemore, Food Curriculum  Area Manager and Acting Head of the department.

Course Manager Lucy Catley said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to teach these students and I am very proud of them all. They all performed extremely well and it was very difficult to choose the award winners.”

Caption: Mark Panczak,  Kerena Edwards and Richard Jeeves are pictured with Nick Blakemore and Lucy Catley after the awards ceremony

Floristry student launches joint venture with Mum

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Floristry students and staff during their visit to Bluebells Florist

Floristry students and staff during their visit to Bluebells Florist

Our florists have enjoyed a visit to an exciting floristry shop in Crewe which has been opened by a fellow student and her mum.

Level 2 Diploma in Floristry student Sophie Garratt and her mum Julie Garratt, who also studied floristry at Reaseheath, launched their new venture ‘Bluebells Florist’ in Underwood Lane, Crewe, earlier this month.

Sophie, 17, a former pupil at Ruskin High School, Crewe, plans to progress onto her Level 3 Diploma in Floristry at Reaseheath while helping in the shop part-time.

She explained: “Me and my mum had planned to run a floristry business together for some time and the right opportunity came up. Fortunately work experience is a big part of my Level 3 Diploma course so I can work in our own shop on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays when we’re at our busiest. I’ve already learned how to create window displays and do stocktaking and ordering at college, so that’s really helped me.

“It was great to show the floristry students and staff what we’ve achieved so far. We’ve already had a stream of local visitors into the shop along with our first orders, so we’re really excited about the future.

Giving the venture full marks, floristry lecturer Helen Cooke, who accompanied the group to ‘Bluebells Florist’,  said: “Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the visit and were really impressed with what Sophie and Julie have achieved in such a short time. We wish them the best of luck and are looking forward to hearing about more as the business progresses.”

Contact Bluebells Florist on 01270 617282

Reaseheath food and farming event promises fun for families

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Reaseheath College in Nantwich is preparing to welcome families onto its campus farm on Sunday June 7.

Open Farm Sunday is a national event supported by LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) and is geared to showing families what’s involved in being a British farmer.

The event is free, runs from 10am to 4pm and is suitable for all ages. Activities include tractor and trailer rides, farm tours with commentary, milking demonstrations and sheep racing. Families can also enjoy meeting the farm’s animals including pigs, sheep, cows and newly hatched chicks and have a go on an air rifle range. There will be pedal tractors and a farm trail quiz for younger visitors.

Lecturers will also be on hand to discuss career options with potential students.

Farm Secretary Miriam Howarth said: “The event is a great celebration of farming and food production. We are looking forward to showing families what the British farmer does best. We ‘re offering fun and educational activities for all ages, so hopefully everyone will find something to interest them.”

For more information visit www.reaseheath.ac.uk/ofs or phone 01270 613240

Budding artist captures Reaseheath on a postcard

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Congratulations to Naomi Dean, aged six, whose outstanding picture of a rural scene won a competition at our Family Festival to portray “Reaseheath on a Postcard”.

Naomi’s picture of a tractor in a field, complete with a farm cat, was unanimously declared the winner by judges from Reaseheath’s Higher Education Support Team who ran the competition. Team Leader Helen Kay said: “We chose Naomi’s entry because it was a beautiful picture which was well  thought out and used a good range of design materials.”

Naomi, who lives in Wistaston, is a pupil at Wistaston Berkeley Primary school and enjoys  drawing, crafts and ballet as well as being an animal lover. She and her family are regular visitors to Reaseheath events.

The lucky winner called into college last week with Dad Mike to collect her prizes, a family ticket for Reaseheath Zoo and a £5 book token.

Here she is, showing off that lovely postcard with Helen Kay.

Helen Kay, team leader HEST, with Naomi Dean and winning drawing

Helen Kay, team leader HEST, with Naomi Dean and winning drawing

 

Reaseheath takes top prize at Chelsea Flower Show

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Reaseheath’s florists are celebrating after taking a top prize at RHS Chelsea, the world’s most prestigious flower show.

Anna Eite, Zoe Sillito, Emily Wiseman and Fiona Davies were crowned runners-up in the RHS Chelsea Floristry College of the Year competition, which took place on May 19.

The students, who were accompanied by Head of Floristry Sue Poole, were also awarded a silver medal for their impressive stand.

Anna, Zoe and Emily have completed their Level 3 Diploma in Floristry and are continuing their studies at Reaseheath while Fiona is studying for her Level 5 Master Diploma in Professional Floristry.

Our team created a spectacular display for an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ theme featuring a giant table, teapot, cake and chair, set off by an eight foot high mushroom made by our engineering department.

The Mad Hatters Tea Party, a jaunty mix of flowers in cerise, pink, turquoise, orange, violet, yellow and green, is continuing to wow the thousands of visitors to the show, which closes on Saturday.

Said Sue Poole: “I am hugely proud of the way the team pulled together to create their display and delighted that the quality of their work was recognised by such highly regarded judges. The girls did an amazing job considering they were under added pressure to perform to world-class standards.”

Reaseheath qualified for the national finals after winning the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park Floristry College of the Year title last year.

chair and cake stand

chair and cake stand

cake stand and teapot

cake stand and teapot

Chelsea victory for horticulture alumnus

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Jack Willgoss, who studied for his National Diploma in Horticulture with us in 2005, featured in the BBC’s recent coverage of RHS Chelsea Flower Show after he and his wife won a silver-gilt medal for their stylish collection of violas.

Jack, who was awarded the title of ‘Best Student’ in his course, went on to train at RHS Garden Wisley where he met and later married Laura Crowe. The couple now run Wildegoose Nursery, home of Bouts Violas, in a Victoria walled garden at Munslow in Shropshire.

They became guardians of the UK’s largest collection of scented, hardy and perennial violas when the original owners retired in 2011.

During his time with us Jack helped to design and build our award winning show garden for the RHS BBC Gardeners World Live show. The garden was much admired by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, when they visited the show.

Jack Willgoss (second right) celebrates at RHS BBC Gardeners World Live back in 2005 with the rest of the design and build team.

Jack Willgoss (second right) celebrates at RHS BBC Gardeners World Live back in 2005 with the rest of the design and build team.