Groundwork South visit to Otter Garden Centres

Our Torbay branch was recently pleased to welcome Groundwork South to the growing nurseries for a talk and demonstration by our Head Nurseryman, Nick Raisey.

National charity Groundwork aims to improve the quality of life in communities that had been neglected and to promote their sustainable development. Groundwork South has six teams, including one team for Devon and Cornwall.

Katherine Ross approached our Branch Manager Emma Devonald to discuss how we might get involved with the charity, which is delivering a certificate in practical horticulture to adult learners. The course includes an overview of the horticultural sector and includes practical training.

Emma suggested a day with Nick in the growing nurseries, for an overview of the facilities and some of the horticultural work undertaken in our Torbay branch.

The day

Nick and his team started the day with a tour of the greenhouses and the polytunnels to see the hardy plants.

After lunch, the visitors were divided into groups where they learnt about planting up cuttings, spacing pots with a special ruler and how to prune winter flowering jasmine.

Katherine said that the day was really special to the students, as it was a real eye-opener to see behind the scenes at a garden centre with its own growing nurseries. “I want to send the biggest thank you to Nick, his team and you for setting up for a day in the nursery. I have to say the students have found it to be one of the highlights from the course. They said they were telling people about all the weekend after and are still buzzing.”

We would also like to thank Nick and his team for providing a great experience for the visitors from Groundwork South.

The students have also visited a variety of interesting horticultural locations, including Greenway, Torquay Golf Course, Shekina Grow and Torre Abbey.