The second cohort of Trainees from Newquay Community Orchard are excited to get started on this year’s traineeship with the Urban Biodiversity Landscape team – and have a busy few months ahead.
The Practical Outdoor Traineeship is a six month work experience and education programme coordinated between Newquay Orchard, Urban Biodiversity and the Learning Partnership, that will provide those on the course with the skills they need to get into work or join an apprenticeship.
Hetty Ninnis, Sustainable Landscapes Manager at Newquay Community Orchard, said: “ Despite delays caused by the global disruption of COVID-19, this year’s group can already celebrate success, as all three of them have joined after starting as volunteers with the Orchard, with Elliot graduating from the Supported Internship to the traineeship, which is fantastic to see.”
“After the uncertainty of this year, we are delighted to be able to offer this traineeship once again – especially to a group who we have gotten to know so well already.”
This year’s trainees are; Honey Vale, an ambitious young horticulturalist with plans to run her own Orchard one day; Jamie Cresswell, an experienced and hardworking Orchard volunteer and another budding horticulturalist; and Elliot Hancock, who is moving from the Orchard’s Supported Internship to the Traineeship.
Elliot is excited to continue developing his skills in landscape and management
He said: “I’ve spent a lot of time at Newquay Orchard with the team and have developed some brilliant skills in horticulture that I never expected so I’m stoked to be taking the next step with the Urban Biodiversity team at Nansledan.”
Luke Reed, Urban Biodiversity Landscape Officer who works with the Trainees at Nansledan, added: “They’re a lovely group of young people and have really thrown themselves into the task at hand. The work they get involved in isn’t easy – especially as the wintery weather creeps in – so they should be really proud of their first few weeks.”
The trainees will be sharing their time between maintaining the communal areas and trees at Nansledan and undertaking some exciting new landscaping projects at Newquay Community Orchard. These projects include the new Market Garden at Newquay Community Orchard, an expansion of the grow space – An Lowarth – which will produce vegetables for the new café in the community building.
Their experience will be enriched by working a day with other employers, such as at the Gardens of Heligan and taking part in apple harvesting with the Wasted Apple Company.
Hetty said: “These additional experiences will add to the broad range of horticultural skills they will learn, from tree pruning and maintenance to mulching, feeding, propagation and planting, as well as installing new gardens from visual plans.”
“One of the greatest parts of working so closely with a community like ours is seeing young minds expand in the world of nature and horticulture and I can’t wait to see them flourish even more over the next 6 months.”
[Pictured] Honey, Jamie and Elliot working with Urban Biodiversity’s Luke Reed at Nansledan