Apprentice helps to grow dog grooming business

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A Cheshire dog grooming parlour is successfully using the government’s apprenticeship programme to develop its workforce.

Angela Mayers, owner  of The Groom Room in Saltney, has seen her  well established business thrive since employing 19 year-old  Bethan Roberts.  Bethan , a former Level 3 Diploma in Animal Management student at  Reaseheath College, Nantwich, joined The Groom Room for work experience and so impressed Angela that she was offered a permanent position.

The young animal lover, who has always wanted to work with dogs, now has a paid job grooming, bathing and drying canine clients.  As an advanced apprentice, she is continuing to gain specific dog grooming qualifications at her workplace and is regularly visited by work based assessors from Reaseheath.  She had been introduced to dog grooming previously during her college course.

Angela Mayers has been part of the thriving business community in Saltney for seven years. The Groom Room offers an individual service for all breeds of dog and clients travel in from as far as Cumbria to take advantage of specialised processes such as hand stripping.

Said Angela: “The training Bethan received from Reaseheath College was excellent but, by taking advantage of the apprenticeship programme, I’ve been able to offer her the opportunity to gain more qualifications and practical experience.

“The apprenticeship programme is a great scheme and has made a real difference to my business as well as to Bethan’s future career.  It’s developed to guidelines so the training is nationally recognised and well supported by workbased assessors.  I ‘d  urge all businesses to take advantage of it.”

“Bethan lives near Ellesmere Port and is a former pupil at the Catholic High School, Chester. She said: “This is a dream job for me because I’m earning a wage and doing something which I enjoy.”

For further details about the The Groom Room visit their website. 

For further details about apprenticeship opportunities at Reaseheath College visit the apprenticeships section on our website. 

Reaseheath students pay tribute to Britain’s war veterans

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Representatives from the Reaseheath College’s Students Association were among those to join representatives from the Royal British Legion at Crewe Station on Monday for a special platform service to mark Remembrance Day. The service was marked by the arrival of a sign written Virgin pendolino train which will bear the insignia of a poppy on its cab for the next year.

students join Remembrance Day service at Crewe station

Students from the Nantwich college had spent the previous week helping to raise funds for the Poppy appeal in the station alongside ex servicemen. The Crewe campaign raised more than £4,000.

Stuart Kay, Chairman of the Crewe branch of the Royal British Legion said: “Reaseheath students behaved in a very professional manner and helped us considerably in our fund raising efforts. These young people appreciate that many servicemen and women are the same age as themselves and are involved in current conflicts throughout the world.”

Virgin Hero Royal British Legion Standard BearerStudents and staff also turned out in force at a college service to commemorate Remembrance Day. Hundreds gathered around the flagpole to hear an address by Principal Meredydd David and observed two minutes’ silence at 11am on Monday.

 

 

Reaseheath funding bid will help farming businesses

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Reaseheath College, Nantwich, agricultural advisors are to help 50 farmers with challenged areas of their businesses following a successful bid for funding from The Prince’s Countryside Fund.

The project, which will run for 18 months, will help the businesses become more profitable and sustainable over the long term. Specialists from Reaseheath’s Agricultural Development Academy (RADA) aim to encourage efficient farm practices by providing a range of specific technical help, advice and planning.

The £48,250 funding will be spent on accessing farmers in most need and providing them with expert input, as well as managing the project from Reaseheath.  A steering group who share an interest in assisting farm businesses will be working in close partnership with the Cheshire Agricultural Chaplaincy.

The Prince’s Countryside Fund was set up by Prince Charles to tackle key issues which negatively impact on rural Britain and to secure a sustainable future for British agriculture and the rural economy. Since its launch in 2010 the fund has handed out £3.3million to projects nationwide. Reaseheath’s bid was one of just 16 selected out of the latest 290 applications.

The project is to be managed by Lesley Innes, RADA Knowledge Transfer Facilitator, who successfully handled Reaseheath’s RDPE Livestock Northwest Cheshire programme over the past four years.

RADA Manager George Fisher said: We are delighted to receive this funding.  The project will open up new doors for us to work with farmers that do not usually interact with Reaseheath and the knowledge transfer work that we do.  Most importantly, it will enable us to help farmers that are in urgent need of support and business improvement.”

For further details contact:  Lesley Innes 01270 625131  Lesleyi@reaseheath.ac.uk  

Floral designs for Arley Halls Christmas Extravaganza

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By Reaseheath Level 3 Floristry students

We have been asked to decorate The Gallery at Arley Hall for their Christmas Extravaganza, which is taking place between Saturday 30th November to Friday 6th December.

Floristry students arley HallTo help us to decide what displays we would include in the Christmas Extravaganza we visited Arley Hall today and undertook an assessment.  We began by asking a member of staff multiple questions to help us to get an idea of what we could and couldn’t do, as well as find out key information such as budget, dates and room layout.

We then split into four groups and allocated each group a different section of the room. Firstly, the front section then the middle section and fire place, then the far end of the room and finally the Christmas tree. In our groups we analysed our own sections recording information such as size and space. With this information we can plan our designs effectively and make sure our final products are in proportion to The Gallery.

Once we were finished in The Gallery we took a brief walk into the gardens to look at their varied chose of foliage. This is to be included as a representation of the grounds and the hall.

We are now busy planning our designs and flowers to construct on Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th November.

Reaseheath gets top marks for promoting pet care

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Reaseheath College has won a national accolade for activities promoting responsible pet ownership during National Pet Month.

The Nantwich, Cheshire, college took the National Pet Month award for the best event in the educational category and was runner up for the best event overall. The activities, organised by Reaseheath’s animal management department, included a sponsored dog walk, rabbit enrichment workshops and educational displays. As well as informing the public and encouraging them to care for their pets, the events raised money for animal charities.

Animal Management Instructor and lead organiser Emma Hunt ran a ‘Go Walkies for Guide Dogs’ in Reaseheath’s grounds and farmland which raised £345 towards the training of guide dogs to support blind and partially sighted people. Each canine entrant enjoyed a tail wagging walk before receiving a doggy bag containing a commemorative dog tag and certificate. At the same time, pet owners were offered a micro chipping service by a qualified professional.

Reaseheath’s zoo was also open to the public, with Emma taking the opportunity to run rabbit enrichment workshops encouraging families to make toys for their pets from cardboard boxes and tubes. The activities raised £82 for the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund.

Other colleagues organised educational displays about responsible pet ownership, particularly the drawbacks of keeping exotic animals, demonstrated how to make garden bird feeders and gave talks on pet care.

Handing over a certificate and educational book on dog breeds, Phil Sketchley, chair of the Trustees of National Pet Month, said: “We liked the balance between fun and education in Reaseheath’s events. They helped promote responsible pet ownership while fitting in with our 2013 theme of ‘companionship’. We cannot wait to hear about Reaseheath’s plans for next year, when National Pet Month will celebrate its 25th anniversary.”

Emma Hunt said: “We were delighted to get this award, particularly as it was the first time we have taken part in National Pet Month. It was a great opportunity to inform the public about pet care – a subject that we are all very passionate about.”

 

Floristry students design wedding flowers for Mere Golf and Country Club

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By Reaseheath Floristry students

During the first week of October, Level 3 Floristry students were asked to put together the flowers for a wedding at the prestigious Mere Golf and Country Club in Knutsford.

The bride had ordered six table top designs, a top table arrangement, two spray bouquets, two bridesmaid posies and buttonholes. Each student was allocated a task and the flowers were prepared in class on Wednesday afternoon. The students used an assortment of large and medium Rosa, purple Eustoma, Cymbidium orchid, Anthuriums and Cala lilies with Monstera and tropical foliage. The designs constructed on Wednesday were then stored in the cool room ready for the wedding on Friday afternoon.

Floristry students mere wedding flowers

On Friday morning a group of students came into college to make the final touches to the flowers, construct the buttonholes and package the bouquets. Everyone piled into the minibus with the flowers and drove to Mere to deliver the flowers. At the hotel the table top arrangements were set up first, sitting them on top of tall vases, then the cake was decorated with individual flowers.

The students were all really impressed with how their work looked in the grand dining room which they decorated. The fantastic result was down to their hard work and excellent team work.

Skills leader gets training overview at Reaseheath College

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Senior civil servant David Russell brought himself up to date with the industry ready skills offered by land based colleges during a fact finding tour of Reaseheath College last week.

Mr Russell, who is Director of ‘Closing the Gap’ within the Department for Education, chose to visit the Nantwich, Cheshire, college because of its outstanding reputation for skills development and engagement with industry.

David Russell visits Reaseheath’s dairy parlour with Vice Principal Dave Kynaston and head of Agriculture Martyn East

He toured the college’s £7.3million industry standard food centre and its commercial farm, which includes a cutting edge dairy parlour and welfare friendly commercial pig unit. During his visit, Mr Russell took the chance to join students being introduced to groundbreaking technology such as how to programme and drive tractors fitted with Global Positioning Systems (GPS), a space-based satellite navigation system.

He also toured the college’s new agricultural engineering academy and motor vehicle workshops and inspected  a state- of- the- art food engineering centre which has just been completed. The £3.6m project, developed in partnership with the National Skills Academy for Food, uniquely combines training in engineering, food manufacturing and farming and is aimed at engineers who service and maintain large scale milk processing plants in factories across the country.

David Russell joins agriculture students looking at screen images of pregnancy testing in cattle

Reaseheath is attracting a growing number of national and regional clients who are benefitting their businesses through tailormade training for their staff. They are also employing graduates because they have the specific qualifications and practical skills they require. The growth has been particularly significant in the farming and food production industries, and in engineering, motor vehicle and land management.

Mr Russell said:  “My visit was truly inspiring.  I was impressed with everything I saw : the industry-standard facilities, the engagement of the students, the enthusiasm of the staff and the vision and energy of Reaseheath’s  Principal and team.

“Above all, it was extremely encouraging and inspiring to see a college which is delivering the Government’s vision for the sector. Reaseheath is  not only responsive to the needs of industry but is totally in partnership at all levels, from course design through teaching partnerships to the layout of facilities.

“It shows what can be done by an institution focussed on excellence and completely orientated towards successful employment outcomes and the skills needs of industry.  And as if that wasn’t enough, I got to drive a tractor too……”

Reaseheath Principal Meredydd David commented: “We were delighted to accommodate David Russell and took the opportunity to show him how we prepare our students for successful careers in industry and the exciting prospects awaiting  them.”

Pest and disease identification and control
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Start Date:               Saturday 7th June 2014

Duration:                 4 hours

Time:                         10am – 12pm / 1pm – 3pm

Venue:                      Reaseheath Horticulture Department

Cost:                          £30  

 

An introduction to the identification of common pests and diseases and a review of non-chemical and chemical methods of control.

RHES takes a private tour of Crocodiles of the World

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By Nathan Brookes-Bennett – RHES Member

On Wednesday 29th May the RHES (Reaseheath Herpetological and Entomological Society) travelled to Crocodiles of the World in Oxfordshire, where upon arrival they were given a pre-arranged private tour of the complex by founder and head keeper of Crocodiles of the World, Shaun Foggett.

nathan crocodile tripCrocodiles of the World is the first and only crocodile zoo in the UK and exhibits 13 of the 23 species of crocodilian, including the critically endangered Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) and Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis.) It is also one of the few establishments in the world to exhibit all 8 species of Alligatorid. The main goals of Crocodiles of the World is to educate the public about crocodilians and their conservation and to one day exhibit all 23 species of crocodilian.

crocodiles trip rhes

When the RHES arrived at Crocodiles of the World they were given a brief talk on crocodilians including their husbandry, ecology and morphology and were then given the opportunity to handle a number of juvenile crocodilians including a 3ft Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus.) The students were then led round the complex and shown the different exhibits and animals at the zoo, with Shaun explaining how each animal was kept and giving background information about both the species and individual animals.

Throughout the tour the RHES were constantly asking questions to help expand their knowledge of crocodilians and also presented their own knowledge of crocodilians to Shaun which thoroughly impressed him. The tour was finished with a feeding display of the Nile Crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) where Shaun demonstrated how crocodilians could be trained to respond to stimuli to stop them getting too boisterous at feeding time.

Crocodiles

After the tour RHES and Shaun discussed lengthily about how RHES can help out with future fundraising events for Crocodiles of the World and Shaun answered more of the group’s questions with one member acquiring work experience there over the summer. Special thanks must be said to Crocodiles of the World who were very professional and accommodating and provided RHES with valuable insight into crocodilian care as well as a fantastic day out. Many thanks as well to Valerie for driving us down and Lauren for helping organise the event.

RHES crocodile trip

Project Atta for RHES

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Reaseheath Herpetological and Entomological Society (RHES) were set a project to redesign and build the Leaf Cutter Ant (Atta cephalotes) display at Reaseheath College/Zoo by Keeper Instructor Lauren Lane. This project would help them form one of their main aims of the society to develop skills for industry. Little did RHES know that designing an exhibit for leaf cutter ants was one of the hardest exhibits to create with their will to escape and sensitivity to chemicals.project atta

The leaf cutter ant display prior to RHES redesign was an exhibit that cost around £9.00 to construct with recycled tanks, bricks and rope. The society were only given a few concepts they had to include these were to make room for other species to be displayed, the ants set up was to look more natural and less clinical, the ants should at some point come close to the window for the visitors to enjoy and exhibits should be on different levels for when the zoo is open to the public so small children can enjoy the invertebrate display window. From this the group got together and came up with some ideas. These were drawn on a white board and a very basic list of items needed was drawn up. Keeper/Instructor Joe Chattel was drafted in to teach RHES the basics of rock work so they can make their tree buttresses. After one slot with Joe by the following week they had structures ready to be concreted.

project atta 2We discovered through this project that student Elliot White, member of RHES is incredibly talented when it came to art and design. The buttress that he shaped at home in his own time is the one that currently houses the fungus gardens for the ants. RHES also visited London Zoo to speak to invertebrate keeper Jeff Lambert about key issues when working with Leaf Cutter Ants, this assisted them with their design.

RHES started to piece together the exhibit in between lessons and during their weekly meetings. New rope was suspended from the ceiling extending out into the room, a stand was created with tanks that can be interchangeable so more species can be on show, and security measures put in place to prevent escape in the form of copper coils painted with fluon and interpretation added to bring the display together.

The new leaf cutter ant exhibit is now up and running with other species such as Indian social spiders and ferocious water bugs now housed in the refurbished invertebrate display window ready for open day. I would like to personally thank RHES for putting in so much hard work and enthusiasm, Joe Chattell for passing on his skills to RHES and Jeff Lambert at ZSL for his advice and support to the society. We look forward to hearing your feedback on the new exhibit.

Old display window

Old display window

New window display

New display window