Future Gardeners is an eight-week course run by the charity Bankside Open Spaces Trust. It is supported by Peabody, and funded by their contractors, Maylim.
The nine participants achieved a City & Guilds qualification after completing classroom learning, hands-on gardening sessions and work placements.
The training included working alongside Peabody’s 145-strong environmental services team who look after 240 hectares of green space in Thamesmead.
Commenting on her experience, one of the participants, Claire Birchall, said: “It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’ve always loved gardening but wasn’t sure how to make that into a career. I did my work experience with Peabody, and I just wanted it to continue.”
The graduates will now use their qualification to apply for green-fingered jobs in the town and further afield. One is heading straight into a paid placement with the Royal Parks.
Dr Phil Askew, Director of Landscape at Peabody, said: “Running Future Gardeners here in Thamesmead has been brilliant. The town has an extraordinary landscape, and it’s wonderful to see a group of local people with the enthusiasm, and now the skills, to care for it.
“Having started my own career as a horticulture apprentice, I know first-hand the opportunities that training like this can open up. I wish all our Future Gardeners every success with their next steps.”
Louisa Mansfield, Future Gardeners Programmes Manager at Bankside Open Spaces Trust, said: “We’re really pleased to have our Thamesmead Future Gardeners graduating and hopefully heading into jobs with Peabody, landscaping contractors and other horticultural employers.
“All the Thamesmead students had 100 per cent attendance over eight weeks, which has never happened before. We were delighted with their enthusiasm.”
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