Garden project bears fruit for park and work trainees

The Walled Garden in Wythenshawe Park has been restored to its heyday glory when the Tatton family were in residence in the 1800s.

Thanks to the dedication of a group of Greater Manchester Future Jobs Fund trainees fruit, flowers and  vegetables are being grown again in the Walled Garden using a modern twist on the gardening techniques of a bygone era.

The Future Jobs Fund  initiative is primarily aimed at 18-24 year-olds, who have been unemployed  for six months or more to benefit the wider community. It also sits within  Manchester City Council's Helping Hands campaign, designed to help residents through the recession.

During their paid placements trainees worked on projects that gave them experience in  horticulture, arboriculture and farming and stable management skills.

In total 24 trainees worked  on the schemes and the majority started in April and are about to finish  their placements, which have given them transferable and vocational skills.

One of the trainees, Robert  Wakefield, 22, from Wythenshawe, did so well on his placement that he  gained a permanent job with Glendale, one of the horticultural contractors at Wythenshawe Park.

Prior to his placement Robert had worked in the building industry, but lost work through the  effects of the recession.

Robert says: "The work at Wythenshawe Park let me learn new skills - I learned to treat, fell and  look after trees to a recognised national standard, which is how I've now  got a new permanent job in the arboricultural industry. It's incredible  how much my life has changed."

Fellow trainee David Roscoe, aged 20, also from Wythenshawe, said he'd enjoyed the scheme so much that it had been 'easy to have a 100% attendance record'.

Ashley Graham, 23, from  Middleton says she made new friends during her time at the park, as well  as broadening her CV.

"I've met people I can now  call friends as well as learning a lot about health and safety issues to do with pesticides and agricultural machinery," she said.

Meanwhile, Toni Martin, aged  21, from Stockport, who was involved with helping disabled children to  develop their riding skills, is going to continue her work by studying for a Riding for The Disabled certificate.

In recognition of all the  trainees' hard work, there will be a celebration on Tuesday (5 October), which will mark the formal opening of the Walled Garden and pay tribute to  all those who worked on the project. The event will also recognise the input of Adult Services at Manchester City Council, who use the garden for training and therapeutic sessions.

Councillor Mike Amesbury, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure at Manchester City Council, said:  "All the trainees who worked on the walled garden and other schemes in Wythenshawe Park should be congratulated and thanked for their huge  effort, which will be enjoyed by so many visitors to the park.

"Our trainees are a good  example of Manchester's legendary spirit and 'can do' attitude. Many of  them have picked themselves up after losing their previous jobs during the recession - and have gone on to learn new skills which will hopefully lead them into different careers and permanent jobs, just like Robert Wakefield."