A press release from Highland Council tells of some interesting goings on up at Sandown. This observer would suggest we use a bit more of the Sandown Lands for this type of thing but that is just a personal opinion :-) Anyway full marks to Susan and local horticultural expert Robert Cunningham.
"A new ‘Growing Into Employment’ scheme from the Highland Council Employability Service is successfully giving out-of-work Nairnshire residents the opportunity to learn gardening skills to help them progress towards employment.
The 12-week course – which is the first of its kind – started in May. The four attendees were long-term unemployed and were referred to the scheme through Work Clubs and Skills Development Scotland. They now attend weekly sessions of talks, discussions and practical training at Sandown Community Allotment.
The scheme has been very successful. Of the four attendees, one has secured employment with a local gardening centre. Two have got work experience and some paid work at the allotments and with Keeping Nairnshire Colourful. Two are also applying for their own allotment at Sandown.
Susan Jardine, Nairn Highland Employability Adviser who set up the course said “It’s difficult to appreciate just how far away from the labour market some of the attendees were when the course started. The clients who attended have learnt so much – not just about how to grow healthy food and eat it but new friends, lots of laughs and opportunities to get employment. One client told me it was ‘an amazing feeling’ to get his first pay slip after being out of work for so long.”
“We are looking to increasing the course time and involving more potential employers for the next course. Many thanks to Robert the tutor who has been so supportive, local allotment holders, and a local resident who volunteered her time helping one of the clients.”
The scheme provides a range of benefits. The attendees are:
- Learning how to grow fresh foods – from salads to strawberries, and from asparagus to apples.
- Learning about nutrition and healthy food and lifestyles.
- Developing gardening skills that will make attendees strong candidates for employment.
- Socialising with other attendees, and getting involved in the local community at the allotment.
- Getting some paid work experience through word of mouth.
- Learning about wild-foraging.
- Trying new foods.
Topics covered in the course – run by Robert Cunningham, local gardener and arborist – include:
- Health and Safety
- Crop rotation and crop groupings
- Sowing/planting times and techniques
- Using greenhouses and poly-tunnels
- Working with orchards
- Weed control and weed management
Councillor Thomas Prag, Chairman of the Planning, Environment and Development Committee at The Highland Council said: “Growing Into Employment is another example of the brilliant and life-changing work the Employability Service do. The benefits of this project are manifold and it works on so many different levels. The new framework the Employability team has devised for provision of services is evidently working well – enabling the team to pull down the right monies, at the right time, in the right areas.”
The Highland Council Employability Service is part of the Highland Council Planning and Development Service. The team work with JobCentre Plus, Skills Development Scotland and third sector organisations to provide personalised services to people who have barriers to employment.
They work with people who are disadvantaged or disengaged from society to help them overcome these barriers and to gain and sustain employment. This includes assisting people with learning/ physical disabilities, addictions, homelessness and offending behaviour. They also work with care-leavers, lone parents and young people with additional support needs."
This sounds like a good positive opportunity to help vulnerable people along in life towards gaining employment. A dedicated tutor, good team spirit, reaching and monitoring outcomes all for the benefit of the individual and not solely for the bosses. Well done. It says exactly what it does on the tin.
ReplyDeleteThe allotments at Sandown have proved very positive and are incredibly popular with folk. How about Highland Council freeing up more land for letting. Excellent community resource and making good use of land
ReplyDelete@ dig for jobs - well said Sir/Madam.
ReplyDeleteThis observer is a member of the orchard groups at Sandown, over 50 varieties planted now including many Scottish Heritage fruit trees.
No space left now, can't speak for the Orchard Group but personally I'd be up to be involved in a much bigger one on some of the Sandown lands- say 500 fruit trees for starters?
Perhaps with the help of local brewers we could make a Sandown Cider for sale in local shops or on the markets in Nairn High Street in the future.
If you too wish to share the dream then please contact the Gurnmeister.
we are indeed lucky to have these allotments at sandown and at millroad. we get so much out of having a plot and knowing what you can do by sowing a seed and seeing the end results. it is amazing how millroad and the new part of plots at sandown have come on since they were handed over to the plotholders. something for nairn to be proud of.
ReplyDelete