Industry support for Reaseheaths’s new Engineering Academy

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Leading agricultural engineering companies are supporting Reaseheath College’s efforts to raise the bar for training within the industry.

Construction of a £7million Advanced Agricultural Engineering Academy will begin shortly at the Nantwich, Cheshire, college which, when completed, will be one of the most sophisticated education centres of its type in Britain. Partners in the initiative include CLAAS, CaseIH, New Holland, JCB, Amazone and Kuhn, many of which have donated advanced engineering machinery and equipment.

The new specialist facility will enable Reaseheath lecturers to deliver training in the latest crop production systems, including technical training in precision farming, to agricultural engineering students and science subjects such as agronomy and data mapping to agricultural students.

Features will include workshops and a technology suite equipped for the teaching of computer controlled automation and high end precision engineering. Equipment will include robotics, tractor simulation, GPS and other advanced agricultural engineering systems. New designated driving areas will be provided for practical training.

Undergraduates on the college’s current agricultural engineering degrees and Level 3 Diploma programmes will be the first to benefit. Once the centre is fully operational, which will be during the 2016 -2017 academic year, Reaseheath will look to expand its agricultural engineering courses to include Level 4 and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for those already working in the industry.

Additionally, the college plans to cater for Advanced Apprenticeships in agricultural and construction plant engineering through the teaching of advanced farming techniques and management. There are also hopes that the centre may ultimately become the GPS training school for the UK.

Said Head of Agricultural Engineering Peter Creagh: “The new centre will combine all aspects of agricultural innovation, mechanisation and advanced engineering under one roof. It will allow us to teach and develop efficient modern farming techniques including precision land management and precision farming. This will enable us to meet increased demand for specialist training from our industry partners, and to equip our students with the skills they will need for their future careers.”

 

Reaseheath’s record RAG raises funds for British Heart Foundation

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Big hearted students and staff from Reaseheath College have raised a record breaking £33,000 this year for local charities.

Representatives from the British Heart Foundation, the Student Association’s chosen charity of the year, received a cheque for £26,361 at the student summer ball which was held on the college’s Nantwich campus. The final total was £5,000 more than the original target.

Students and staff have also raised an additional £7,000 for other charities including the Poppy Appeal, the Epilepsy Society, World Aids and Sport Relief.

Student Association (SA) members voted to fund raise for the British Heart Foundation because many had relatives who had been affected by heart problems. They are also aware that heart problems can affect apparently young, fit people.

SA members organised over 100 fund raising events including a fashion show, foam party and activities at Reaseheath’s Family Festival and lambing weekends. Their mascot, Daisy the cow, also met the public at the region’s agricultural shows

RAG chair Tom Allen joined by mascot Daisy and Katie Gibson

RAG Chair Tom Allen and SA Vice President Katie Gibson joined by RAG mascot Daisy the cow

RAG (Raising and Giving) week activities included a themed RAG ball, a tractor pull, a cake sale, sponsored walks and a 24 hour static cycle ride. Individual staff completed fund raising challenges and  construction staff and students completed a Snowdon climb carrying 19 kilo hod of bricks.

In addition, over 350 students have been trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with kits donated by the BHF as part of its ‘Nation of Lifesavers’ campaign.

Student Association RAG Chair Tom Allen, a BSc Wildlife Conservation and Ecology undergraduate, said: “I’m very proud of the SA team, who worked really hard to put together a programme of activities which everyone could enjoy. We also had unbelievable support from all staff and students and from the British Heart Foundation itself.”

Michelle Bailey, Area Fundraising Manager for the North West said: “The British Heart Foundation is hugely grateful to the students and staff of Reaseheath College for raising such a phenomenal amount of money.  I have never met a more inspirational group of young people. They have put so much focus and passion into their fundraising. This will make a huge difference to people across the north west who are supported by our charity.”

British Heart Foundation is one of Britain’s largest charities and funds research into improving treatment, diagnosis and prevention of heart and circulatory disease. The charity is funding over 1,000 research projects including a £20 million spend on a number of projects based at the University of Manchester.

Over the past 28 years, Reaseheath students and staff have raised over £248,000 for local charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, St. Lukes Hospice and Broughton House Military Charity.

Header image caption: Student Association Joint Vice President Katie Gibson, RAG Vice Chair Dan Lee, Student Association Joint Vice President Josh Bufton, RAG Chair Tom Allen and SA President Rob Sparkes hand over the cheque to British Heart Foundation  to Fundraising Manager for Merseyside and West Cheshire Hayley Gough and volunteer Bob Dykes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reaseheath Horticulture joins Marshalls’ Education Partnership

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Reaseheath’s proactive horticulture department is the latest further education provider to join Marshalls Educational Partnership.

Marshalls, the UK’s leading hard landscaping manufacturer, has launched its educational initiative to answer increasing demand for trained professionals within the industry, and to join land-based colleges in promoting garden landscaping as an attractive career choice.

Marshalls will help us to deliver landscaping courses to an even higher standard by providing materials, delivering skills workshops and by linking our students with Marshalls Register members so they can gain top class work experience in the industry.

Reaseheath is the latest college to sign up to the scheme and joins Askham Bryan College, York,  and Capel Manor College, London.

Dave Jessop, Operations Manager of the Marshalls Register explained: “Promoting landscaping as an attractive career choice by working in partnership with colleges felt like a natural progression. There is a lack of skilled professionals in the landscaping sector, while demand for their services is higher than ever before.

“We want to encourage students to pursue a career in this wonderful industry, and to instil best practice from the outset. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Reasehath and look forward to working together to provide landscaping students with the best possible start to their careers.”

Glyn Ferriday, Reaseheath’s Head of Marketing and Communications, said: “This educational partnership with Marshalls will give our landscaping students a wonderful opportunity to broaden their knowledge and skills and to learn from industry professionals.

“The support which our students will receive through the Marshalls Register will be invaluable, as it gives them the chance to link with practising tradespeople and to gain relevant work experience. We are looking forward to working with Marshalls and are excited about the opportunities we will have to enhance the future prospects of our students.”

See Mark Seddon and Head of Horticulture Sarah Hopkinson discuss the new partnership at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 2016.

WorldSkills journey continues for Reaseheath landscaper

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Reaseheath horticulture student Aaron Byrne will join other talented future garden landscapers in the WorldSkills UK finals after qualifying at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 2016.

Successful WorldSkills UK competitor Aaron Byrne

Successful WorldSkills UK competitor Aaron Byrne

Aaron, 17, who is studying for his Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horticulture, demonstrated his technical skills in block paving, decking construction and plant placement at Tatton alongside six other young landscapers.

The demanding three day competition, run by the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) aims to identify and nurture potential GB team members for WorldSkills, an Olympic-style global final which showcases the world’s top young talent in vocational industries.

This year the quality of work and attention to detail was so high that all competitors have qualified for the final, to be held at The Skills Show, Birmingham, in November.

Jody Lidgard, APL lead judge and trainer, said: “We have a lot of young talent moving up through the ranks and producing work to a good, professional standard. This is very pleasing as we are putting all our efforts into standardising and improving the skills coming into the industry.”

Aaron, a former Weaverham High School pupil, said: “This was a real challenge over three days against very strong competition but it was a great opportunity for me to show off the technical skills and knowledge I’ve gained during my studies at Reaseheath. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to doing more training in preparation for the finals.”

Hopefully Aaron will follow in the footsteps of former Reaseheath Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horticulture student Matt Beesley from Winsford, who was a member of the GB WorldSkills squad in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2015 and successfully brought home a silver medal – Britain’s first ever medal in garden landscaping.

RHS medal for first time garden designer Nathan

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Level 3 Diploma in Horticulture student Nathan Webster was awarded a bronze medal at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park for his first ever show garden.

At 17 one of the youngest garden designers ever at the prestigious horticultural event, Nathan was supported in the garden build by Reaseheath trained apprentices and staff from Hultons Landscapes.

His striking garden ‘Sitting below the Mulberry Tree’, in the back-to-back category, is designed for young people with life limiting illnesses and will be relocated to Claire House Children’s Hospice, Wirral, to be enjoyed by families from throughout the north west.

Nathan Webster on his show garden

Nathan Webster on his show garden

Nathan, who has just completed the first year of his course, is planning a design and build career with Hultons, which is owned and run by his father Lee and sponsored the show garden.
Other members of the build team included Ian Rowbottom, a current Reaseheath horticulture apprentice and Tom Roberts, who completed his apprenticeship in Plant Maintenance with us last year. Reaseheath trained former apprentice Tom Pennington and Rory Littlewood, who gained his Level 3 Diploma in Horticulture with us ten years ago, were also part of the team and Theo Wilson, one of Nathan’s current fellow students, helped with the build.

Monty Don reporting from Nathan Webster's show garden

Monty Don reporting from Nathan Webster’s show garden

Designed to give families an accessible and peaceful seating area, the garden offers two serpentine shaped benches and a water cascade which falls down the retaining wall to collect in a ground level pool.

Nathan, who gained valuable experience at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park last year working alongside gold medal winning designer Pip Probert, said: “The atmosphere at RHS Tatton is amazing. I really enjoyed it last year but this year is different because I’m here with my own design and working with our own apprentices and staff. I’ve also learned a lot of technical skills during my course at Reaseheath.”

Lee Webster, who was previously Operational Director of the Landscape Group before launching Hultons, commented: “Designing and building a garden for RHS Tatton Park gives us a fantastic opportunity to show off the skills and talent of our rising stars. Apprentices and newly qualified horticulturists and designers are a fundamental resource for the horticultural industry. We’re currently facing a massive skills shortage and this show gives us a platform to remind visitors of the well paid range of careers which are available.”

See Nathan talk about his garden here>> 

Small spaces with big ideas lead to success for former students

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Small but perfectly formed, The Tiny Plant Company repeated last year’s success by winning a silver medal at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 2016.

The company was launched less than two years ago by former Reaseheath horticulture student Matt Wood and has Reaseheath trained designer Sally Parkinson as one of its directors. The web-based business rears and supplies dwarf varieties of familiar plants which are suitable for restricted spaces and has been inspired by the rising popularity of container and ‘fairy’ gardens.

The Tatton exhibit, in the Blooming Borders category, was designed by Sally with  plants from The Tiny Plant Company. It demonstrated how even the lowliest of window boxes can be transformed into an interesting and attractive feature and  drew crowds of admiring show visitors.

While ideal for small herbaceous borders, patios or parking spaces, the planting ideas could also be combined into a larger scheme for gardeners who are less challenged for space.

Matt’s interest in small plants stems from his hobby of growing bonsai. He has shown with the Gold medal winning Cheshire Bonsai Society (of which he is membership secretary) at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park for the past seven years.

Matt Wood and Sally Parkinson silver medal

Matt Wood and Sally Parkinson celebrate their silver award

He and his wife Susi, who also works in The Tiny Plant Company, have their sights set on RHS Chatsworth Flower Show in 2017 and will then look beyond to RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

This year Matt has also been busy building show displays for Bowden Hostas at both RHS Chelsea Flower Show and RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

He completed his Level 3 Diploma in Plant Production at Reaseheath in 2005 and was runner up in the Chartered Institute of Horticulture’s ‘Young Horticulturalist of the Year’ regional final, held on campus earlier this year.

Sally completed her Professional Diploma in Garden Design at Reaseheath in 2007 before setting up her Mouldsworth-based garden design business, ‘Gardens and Spaces’. She is gaining a growing reputation throughout Cheshire for her designs, and has been a regular exhibitor at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park.

She said: “The business is doing really well considering the short time it has been operating. It’s particularly impressive that the plants which Matt has grown are already of the quality required for one of Britain’s top horticultural shows.”

See The Tiny Plant Company exhibit and hear from Matt at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park here>>