‘We’ve been waiting two years to show the public what our students can do’ says project manager of show garden……..
We are already in training to create an award winning garden for this year’s Suffolk Show.
SNC learners are now studying on the level two Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and level three landscape construction courses based at the Suffolk Rural campus. (The College was given RHS course status in 2021).
Lecturer, David Smith has designed the space and learners have been growing plants and preparing the decking ahead of the two day county showcase that starts at the end of May.
Neville Stein – who has 45 years of industry experience – is project managing the build.
The horticulture lecturer, said,
“We’ve been waiting for two years to show the public what our students can do at the Suffolk Show and we can’t wait to attend.
“This is an opportunity for our learners to grow plants, understand the constraints of building a show garden in a short space of time and they also get to learn how to build something from scratch. Three of our learners are already working in industry so this will also be a chance for them to network with potential clients.
“The whole idea for this is to support our friends at the Suffolk Show, get students excited and engaged by horticulture, inspire others to do the same, promote horticulture as an industry and fundamentally this is all about seeing students enjoy themselves and giving them a taste of the commercial world. We’ll be approaching this with real purpose and if we were to do well and win a medal or prize – then happy days.”
47 year old Wayne Cool from Ipswich will be part of the student team working on the garden. He said:
“Whilst we won’t have a Jubilee theme, we are hoping to use some Queen Elizabeth roses in the build. By being involved in this, it will make me more employable. This year, we have worked on projects at Jimmy’s Farm and Glemham Hall – and now we are competing in this competition. It’s exciting.”
Head of Land Based Studies, Holly Williams, said:
“As a College, we can’t wait to attend the show. We anticipate that we will have a presence in around eleven areas of the showground so it will be the perfect opportunity for everyone to showcase what we do across our four campuses.”