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Reaseheath students gear up for RHS Flower Show Tatton Park

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Reaseheath College garden designers and florists are gearing up for the prestigious RHS Flower Show Tatton Park (July 23 – July 27). We have an impressive medal record for our show gardens and floral designs and our students are hoping to add to the tally with this year’s entries.

 

Feast 291 A Taste of Wythenshawe

The show garden team busy growing on their vegetables

The show garden team busy growing on their vegetables

A team of Foundation Degree Garden and Landscape Design students, helped by  fellow learners from all horticultural courses, are creating an edible show garden in the ‘Feast’ zone, an area which celebrates fresh produce and the joy of growing and cooking home grown food.

Sponsored by Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG), the garden incorporates innovative and creative approaches to growing edible plants including hydroponics and sculptural features. It celebrates Real Food Wythenshawe, a five year £1 million Big Lottery-funded community food campaign led by WCHG which promotes ways that people can grow their own fruit and vegetables and cook healthy, economical meals.

After the show the garden will be rebuilt in Wythenshawe Park, where it will be shared by the local community.

Said WCHG Chief Executive Nigel Wilson: “The Real Food Wythenshawe campaign supports and encourages residents to take control over what they and their families eat. It demonstrates that healthy eating is possible for everyone, regardless of age, budget, ability or time constraints.

“We are delighted to be partnering Reaseheath College with this innovative show garden and even more excited about the prospect of bringing it back home to Wythenshawe.”

The garden re-instatement at Wythenshawe will be carried out by members of the Turnaround team, who have also assisted in the show build. The Turnaround programme was developed by WCHG to offer training and potentially employment opportunities to those with criminal records. All team members have been trained by Reaseheath and have successfully gained their NPTC Level 2 horticulture award.

 

Inspire 149 Cheshire Gardens of Distinction

Reaseheath RHS students are helping to build a carnival themed show feature for the Cheshire Gardens of Distinction, which this year celebrates its 10th birthday. The group will be represented by eight leading visitor attractions: Arley Hall and Gardens,  Adlington Hall and Gardens, Cholmondeley Castle and Gardens, Fryers Roses of Knutsford, Biddulph Grange, Norton Priory, Bluebell Cottage Gardens and Nurseries and the Cheshire Gardens Trust.

Reaseheath Horticulture lecturer Tracey Walker has helped to co-ordinate the stand, which is in the ‘Inspire’ zone, an area dedicated to cutting edge design and fresh ideas. Each of the eight gardens will feature ‘The Rose of Distinction’, a new floribunda rose being launched by Fryers Roses to celebrate the group’s centenary.

 

Floral Design Studio

Reaseheath florists will showcase their talents with a creative, carnival themed stand.

Five floristry students will also compete in the new Floristry College of the Year Competition. Level 3 Diploma in Floristry students Anna Eite, Zoe Sillito, Wendy Anderson, Carron White and Christine Roberts will be supported by Programme Leader for Floristry Sue Poole.

The students will create five designs using flowers with a colour theme of red, green and yellow: a mask, a wall hanging, an arrangement, a wired bouquet and a planted design. The winning college will go through to the final at the Chelsea Flower Show 2015.

Hopes are high for a good result, as Anna and Zoe won second and third places respectively at a recent WorldSkills UK competition.

 

WorldSkills UK Landscape Gardening Semi Finals

Talented Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horticulture Richard Carden will represent Reaseheath in this prestigious competition. He is one of eight students (divided into teams of two) challenged to build 2m x 6m gardens designed by Alexandra Froggatt.

Competition entries were the highest yet and Richard successfully completed a theory test and tie-breaker exercise to claim his place in the semi-finals. The judges will be Association of Professional Landscapers chairman Mark Gregory, garden designer and four times RHS gold medal winner Adam Frost, landscape firm owner Jody Lidgard and 2011 WorldSkillsUK medal winner Simon Abbott.

Winners from the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park will compete at the WorldSkills UK finals, to be held at The Skills Show, Birmingham NEC, in November. There they will fight for the national title in front of 70,000 people and will also be in the running for selection for the international WorldSkills Competition in Sao Paulo, Brazil, next year.

 

You can find out more about our Garden and Landscape Design, Horticulture and Floral Design courses on our website.

 

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.

 

 

Chancellor applauds plans for cutting edge Food Futures Centre

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George Osborne cuts the first sod for the National Centre for Food Futures and the Environment, watched by Reaseheath Principal Meredydd David, MP Stephen O’Brien, MEP candidate Kevin Beaty and Martin Smout, executive chairman of construction partner GB Building Solutions.

George Osborne cuts the first sod for the National Centre for Food Futures and the Environment, watched by Reaseheath Principal Meredydd David, MP Stephen O’Brien, MEP candidate Kevin Beaty and Martin Smout, executive chairman of construction partner GB Building Solutions.

Chancellor George Osborne has congratulated Reaseheath College’s efforts to help food producers meet the challenge of world population growth and climate change.

Cutting the first sod on the site of a £8.5 million National Centre for Food Futures and the Environment, Mr Osborne said: “Reaseheath College is rightly renowned for the quality of the education it provides, especially in the agriculture industry. I always want to try to provide funding for projects like this.

“One of the key elements of our long-term economic plan is to deliver the best schools and skills for young people  in all sectors so the next generation can succeed in the global race.”

The Chancellor chats to members of the Reaseheath’s Student Association.

The Chancellor chats to members of the Reaseheath’s Student Association.

The industry-led project will enable the Nantwich, Cheshire, college to support the government’s agri-tech strategy, which aims to make the UK a world leader in agricultural technology, innovation and sustainability. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills, through the Skills Funding Agency, has allocated £5.8m of capital grant for the project.  The remainder has come directly from the college.

The building will provide a national centre for horticultural production, environmental management and conservation and renewable energy, and will be the leading one of its type in the country. It will include a visitor and interpretation centre and a schools unit and is the latest of a string of world class facilities to be built on campus.

In a second project, the college, in partnership with Cheshire East Council, is to develop a state-of-the-art centre for students with learning difficulties and disabilities. This £1.5m project, funded by the Education Funding Agency, will develop desperately needed specialist facilities for students from the Cheshire East area.

Both developments are to be sited on the former college golf course. The buildings have been designed with considerable input from industry advisors and are planned to be open for students and the public by September 2015.

George Osborne chats to arboriculture students.

George Osborne chats to arboriculture students.

The college also intends to reconstruct its existing turf based sports pitches and build new 3G and multi-use artificial sports areas. A sports centre for use by both students and the local community is also planned. This will cater for grass based team sports and sports requiring an artificial playing surface such as hockey, as well as offering  a six court sports hall, team changing facilities and a fitness centre.

Space released by the relocation of the horticulture department has been earmarked for further halls of residence, with construction planned to start this summer.
 

Vice Principal Dave Kynaston, George Osborne, Stephen O'Brien

George Osborne with Reaseheath Vice Principal Dave Kynaston and MP Stephen O’Brien.

Welcoming the Chancellor’s visit, Principal Meredydd David said that Reaseheath was delighted to be involved in the development of another world class educational facility.

He said: “I am thrilled that the government has identified Reaseheath as their preferred location for investing capital to develop this national Food Futures Centre. This will ensure that Reaseheath can continue to deliver specialist technical and educational training to next generation leaders.”

Mr Osborne was accompanied on his visit by local MP Stephen O’Brien and  MEP candidate for the north west Kevin Beaty.
 
 
 
 

Reaseheath College helps Cheshire school get full marks for gardening

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Chancellor George Osborne has given full marks to a Cheshire school mentored by Reaseheath College’s Master of Horticulture Harry Delaney.

The Chancellor visited Comberbach Primary School Northwich school last week to help pupils and staff celebrate their Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Level 5 Top School Gardening Award.

The accolade has only been achieved by 16 schools in the north west and is awarded to outstanding gardening projects which are used for teaching and learning and involve pupils, staff and the community.

Comberbach Primary School has a flourishing kitchen garden and pupils grow fruit and vegetables for their school dinners. The varieties include more unusual vegetables such as yams and mini cucumbers and this year will include ‘heritage’ vegetables from Cheshire.

Mr Osborne, who is MP for Tatton and has the school in his constituency, visited the Big Lottery funded project when it was launched two years ago and returned to share its success.

He watched as RHS North West Regional Schools Advisor Anne Gunning handed over the award to Garden Project Leader Babirye Gregory, who leads several Level 5 kitchen garden projects in Cheshire schools. Babirye is a former RHS student at Reaseheath College in Nantwich and Harry Delaney has continued to support her by working with the Comberbach pupils in their garden.

After the presentation, Mr Osborne joined the pupils to admire some of the crops growing in raised beds. After picking Timperley early rhubarb and tasting home-made rhubarb crumble he said: “It’s wonderful seeing this brilliant introduction to gardening. This is a great initiative from the RHS and it has been led very successfully by Babirye Gregory with support from Reaseheath College. I am so pleased that the school has won this award.”

The project is part of the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, which aims to inspire young people into horticulture.

Said Babirye: “This has been a fantastic gardening achievement for our pupils. As a gardener I am passionate about showing young people how satisfying and enjoyable it is to grow their own food. I believe it is vitally important that children have the opportunity to learn where their food comes from. Through gardening, children begin to understand and explore their relationship with the natural world and the impact our food choices make on our planet.”

Commented Harry: “Gardening sessions at school inspired me to take up horticulture as a career but this part of the curriculum has gradually disappeared. It’s really encouraging to see this vital education link restored at Comberbach between the pupils, the soil and cropping plants. I hope that in future we shall see these young gardeners choosing horticulture as a fulfilling and rewarding career.”

Young gardeners get the plot

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Pupils from Watermill School in Stoke on Trent have been learning horticultural skills as part of our successful Vocational Opportunities Programme for 14 to 16 year-olds.

We have worked in partnership with Watermill, which caters for pupils with needs related to cognition and learning, for around six years. It is always a pleasure to welcome these pupils on site, as they respond so positively to learning practical skills out of doors.

Many successfully gain their City & Guilds Level 1 Certificate in Practical Horticulture Skills and a few have progressed onto one of our Foundation programmes.

Said Reaseheath’s Pre-16 Learning Manager Graham Morgan: “This is a fantastic opportunity for young people in their final two years at school to receive a practical, work-related experience as part of the Key Stage 4 curriculum. It’s an opportunity for them to do something different from the subjects they are offered at school and to benefit from the facilities and expertise which Reaseheath can offer.’’

A total of over 300 school pupils aged between 14 and 16 study at Reaseheath on a weekly basis on our Vocational Opportunities Programme. They can choose to study horse care, horticulture, agriculture, construction, motor vehicle, animal care, food studies or adventure sports while continuing to study for conventional GCSEs.

For more information on our courses for students aged 14-16 visit: www.reaseheath.ac.uk/14-16-students.

 

Methane gas from cows makes for illuminating interview

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The way Reaseheath converts the slurry from our dairy cows into a renewable energy source made for an illuminating interview on BBC Radio Stoke this week.

Farm Manager Mark Yearsley described the workings of our two Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plants, which produce biogas from slurry. By producing our own energy and using it to power some of our campus buildings, we have been able to cut our electricity consumption by 15%.

Our two plants are demonstration units and widely used to promote on- farm AD to farming groups, who regularly tour the facility.

Mark has recently returned  from a scholarship to America, during which he studied the AD systems over there.

His chat with reporter John Acres followed an international story about an explosion in a building housing cattle in Germany, allegedly caused by the build up of methane gas produced by the animals.

Although sceptical about the amount of methane allegedly produced by the animals, Mark talked about the digestive systems of cattle and how the end product could be used sustainably. The interview was observed by an attentive group of cows from our elite herd, who obligingly provided some sound effects.

Two interviews – one about our cows and one about our AD plants – were broadcast on Monday February 3rd on Perry Spiller’s popular mid morning show.

BBC Radio Stoke regularly consult us for our expertise on rural subjects such as food, farming and horticulture.

Two weeks ago Horticulture Unit manager Neil Bebbington gave a very good live interview from our weather station describing the extreme weather patterns being recorded on the daily data. During the same week, Sam Walton was called upon to answer the bizarre question as to whether a cow could get up if a wall was built in front of it while it was lying down. (This was a radio quiz question and the answer is ‘No’, because cows need to lunge forward when they are getting up!)

Horticulture industry professionals visit Reaseheath

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On Saturday 30th November the College welcomed leading professional horticulturists from the Institute of Horticulture. The Institute, which has recently been granted a Royal Charter by The Queen, came to see for themselves the award-winning work of our horticulture department.

ioh 2The group were welcomed by Curriculum Area Manager for Horticulture Iain Clarke, who delivered a presentation on our successes at events such as RHS Flower Show Tatton Park, the wide range of programmes we run, and also on the exciting future plans for the department with the investment of £8million in a National Centre for Food Futures and Environment which will provide cutting edge horticultural production, environment management and design facilities for our students.

Horticulture lecturer Harry Delaney conducted a tour of Reaseheath’s historic landscape, which was followed by a tour of the College’s state of the art anaerobic digestion facility by farm manager Mark Yearsley.

Susan Nicholas, who is the Chairman of the Institute’s North West and North Wales Branch commented on: “An excellent visit to Reaseheath, Harry Delaney wowed us with his knowledge and history of trees, and Mark Yearsley gave us an insight into the workings of the college’s anaerobic digestion plant. A big thank you to all college staff involved for an interesting and informative day”.

Speaking about the day, horticulture lecturer Craig Bailey said: “It was a privilege to host the visit, and we have extended an invitation to the Institute to visit Reaseheath again when our new centre is completed in 2015”.

The Institute of Horticulture organises the prestigious Young Horticulturist of the Year competition, which all our horticulture students have the opportunity to enter each year.