Home grown success for Reaseheath horticulturists

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Reaseheath College horticultural students were feeling chipper after taking part in a First Early Potato Show, held at the Nantwich college on Saturday.

Thirty Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Level 2  certificate students demonstrated their skills at growing the world’s favourite root vegetable – and were rewarded with praise from one of the county’s top vegetable judges.

The students, who attend college one day a week, have been learning horticultural techniques such as how to successfully sow and plant vegetables and how to prepare them for exhibition.  Reaseheath’s Master of Horticulture Harry Delaney, who lectures the groups, hopes that their new knowledge will encourage the students to support the fruit and vegetable shows run within their local communities.

Over 20 varieties of first early potatoes, grown on plots at the college, were on show.  Local allotment holders and gardeners were invited to attend, along with families and fellow students.

Best in Show went to Mary Johnson from Knutsford , who also won the Monday group section with her ’Red Duke of York’ potatoes. Winner of the Friday group section was Mark Bayes of Hazel Grove, Stockport, who exhibited the ‘Swift’ variety.

Second and third places in the Monday group went to Janine  Shaw and Penny Harrison while Niamh Poole  and Richard Hudson-Davies were runners up in the Friday group.

The competition was judged by Derek Jones of Malpas, a well known vegetable exhibitor, judge, horticulturist and historian. He explained: “I was looking for four potatoes which were equally matched in shape, size and colour. They had to be of good quality, of uniform shape, well prepared and typical of the variety.

“The entries showed a great deal of care and attention to detail.  I must congratulate Harry for the innovative way he has encouraged students to improve their gardening skills. Hopefully their enthusiasm and knowledge will help to sustain village shows in the future.”

Reaseheath’s First Early Potato Show was held for the first time last year and was so successful that it is likely to be an annual event.

Said Harry: “This is a fantastic way for our students to translate scientific principles into practical skills into practical skills. I also wanted to take away the mystique surrounding horticultural shows by giving them some show experience at college. The students produced superb displays and gained a lot of satisfaction and personal achievement from their efforts.” ‘’ They certainly experienced the agony and the ecstasy of show exhibiting! ‘’

Around 100 part-time students gain RHS qualifications at Reaseheath each year.  The students include professional horticulturists, career changers and leisure gardeners. Reaseheath is an RHS training and examination centre and offers theory and practical qualifications at Levels 2 and 3.

For further details email suepa@reaseheath.ac.uk.

 

 

Reaseheath students pipped at the post in Barclays Money Skills final

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An inspirational idea for a mobile phone app earned Reaseheath College, Nantwich, equine students second place in the national finals of a business enterprise competition.

Emily Bancroft and April Macleod, both 17, and 16 year-old Eve Baker presented their business plan before a panel of judges at the Barclays Bank Head Offices in Canary Wharf, London, last Friday (13 June). Fellow student Emma Penn, 17, also contributed to the idea but did not accompany the team to London.

Just eight entries out of over 400 were selected for the final, which was the culmination of Barclays ‘Built for Business’ competition. The challenge was one of a number of activities offered to all Reaseheath’s further education students during a week long  Barclays Money Skills programme, which helps young people to develop their money management, employability and enterprise skills..

The Level 3 Horse Management students suggested launching a mobile phone app which would notify them about timetable changes and outstanding assignments and offer an alternative communication with lecturers. Colleges, universities and schools would subscribe annually to the service, which would be available free for all students.

The team travelled to London to pitch their idea to judges including Chris Hearn, Head of Education at Barclays and Sylvia Perrins, CEO of The National Skills Academy for Financial Services, which supports the programme. They also joined other finalists at a careers workshop on CV writing and interview skills.

Reaseheath’s Level 3 equine students study business as part of their course. Explained Emily: “We decided to use what we’ve already learned to help students organise their life better. We decided a mobile app would be the best way of improving the flow of communication between students and their lecturers.”

Student Welfare Officer Carys Jones, who ran the Barclays Money Skills activities, said: “We were thrilled to have a Reaseheath team shortlisted for the final. Sadly our students were just pipped at the post, but they had a great chance to show off their entrepreneurial skills. Learning opportunities like these are completely in line with our own aim to make our students more employable and to provide them with skills for the future.”

This year 130 UK colleges have run a Barclays Money Skills ‘week’, with around 150,000 students taking part in money management, employability and enterprise themed activities. The programme is supported by over 520 Barclays’ staff volunteers, who work with the students on campus.

 

 

Equine students provide Bolesworth International arena party

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bolesworth grand prix winner

Our equine students did a great job providing the arena party for Bolesworth International last week. Our team of 40 staff and students were on duty in all three showjumping arenas for the four full days of action and loved working alongside world class course designers Bob Ellis and Kelvin Bywater. Bolesworth has invested thousands of pounds to build up this exciting event into a 3 star competition which attracted riders from 13 nations. Riders were delighted with the new international arena, set in an amphitheatre with a surface formerly used for the London 2012 Olympics.

Founder Nina Barbour is now planning to boost the event to 4 star and has already set next year’s dates of 18 – 21 June. She said: “Reaseheath’s arena party were extremely competent and professional. We really appreciated their teamwork, which helped us to deliver showjumping at its highest level.”

Our arena party are pictured applauding William Whitaker, winner of the Redrow Grand Prix and £9,900 in prize money.

 

Reaseheath College wins at Cheshire Show

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Reaseheath College’s action packed exhibition was voted Best Outside Education Stand at this week’s Cheshire Show.

The Nantwich, Cheshire, college took top honours after judges gave it full marks for the enthusiasm of its staff and students and the diversity of activities it offered visitors.

High Sheriff of Cheshire Susan Sellers chats to florists

High Sheriff of Cheshire Susan Sellers chats to florists

Top crowd puller on the stand was a Caterpillar digger which gave visitors the chance to operate the controls to move golf balls and tyres. The digger was on loan from John Bownes of Winsford.

Families also enjoyed riding the college’s mechanical horse, tried boat building with construction students and watched ferret racing. Other activities, under the banner ‘Do Something Different’, included a climbing wall, a model cow which could be milked, a  horticultural quiz, a floristry demonstration, bird box making and a bakery demonstration. Animals from the college’s zoo and a student show garden were also on display.

VIP visitors to the stand included the High Sheriff of Cheshire Susan Sellers, who said: “I have been impressed with the breadth of activities, the knowledge and enthusiasm of staff and the obvious interest they are generating among members of the public.”

2Agriculture students Rebecca Harper, Kirsty Tailor, Liberty Turner and Lydia Diamond show youngstock from Reaseheath Holsteins

Agriculture students Rebecca Harper, Kirsty Tailor, Liberty Turner and Lydia Diamond show youngstock from Reaseheath Holsteins

Reaseheath agriculture students also celebrated success in the cattle show ring by gaining awards in the calf showing and young handler classes. Level 3 Extended Diploma in Agriculture students Rebecca Harper, Kirsty Tailor and Liberty Turner and Level 2 Diploma in Agriculture student Lydia Diamond showed heifers from the Reaseheath Holstein dairy herd.

Marketing Manager Glyn Ferriday said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for us to demonstrate the range of vocational courses we offer. We are very proud of the success of our students and coming to the Cheshire Show each year gives us a great platform to show the public what we can do.”

To see what other shows we’ll be visiting this summer visit our ‘Reaseheath on the Road’ page.

 

Travel beckons for ambitious young farmers

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Rachel Billington and Simon Bonner receive their John Platt Travel Scholarships from Keith Thomas and Reaseheath Principal Meredydd David at the Cheshire Show.

Rachel Billington and Simon Bonner receive their John Platt Travel Scholarships from Keith Thomas and Reaseheath Principal Meredydd David at the Cheshire Show.

Two ambitious young farming entrepreneurs are looking forward to global travel thanks to a scholarship run by Reaseheath College and the Cheshire Agricultural Society.

Rachel Billington and Simon Bonner were presented with £2,000 John Platt Travel Scholarships during the Presidents Lunch at the Cheshire Show on Tuesday. Rachel will use her scholarship to help her gain a professional qualification from Leith’s School of Food and Wine, London, and has a long term plan to  eventually  run a cookery school which will promote British agriculture and the food chain, from field to fork. She will also use her award to travel to other farm diversification schemes.

The 25 year-old is a product development technologist with Goodlife Foods, Warrington, a food manufacturer for major retailers. She previously studied at Harper Adams University for a BSc (Hons) Degree in Agri-food, Marketing and Business Studies and is current lady chairman of Congleton Young Farmers Club. Her family have a dairy farm in Siddington near Macclesfield.

Rachel said: “I am delighted to receive the scholarship. It will give me a fantastic opportunity to learn new skills and to meet others who are successfully running on- farm diversification businesses.”

Simon, 26, is assistant herdsman at Bankhead Farm, Broxton, a 240 cow, autumn calving, pasture-based dairy farm on the Bolesworth Estate. He will use his scholarship to visit New Zealand and Ireland to compare pasture-based dairy systems with those in the UK, in particular examining the opportunities and constraints for wealth creation and profit from grass.

Simon has a BSc (Hons) Degree in Agriculture with Countryside Management and worked on dairy farms in New Zealand after graduating. He also spent a year with Rhys Williams, one of the UK’s leading exponents of milk production from grazed grass, who farms near Aberdaron in north west Wales.

Simon comes from Hale Barns, Altrincham, and has always wanted to farm although he does not have an agricultural background. He said: “It’s an honour to be awarded this scholarship. I plan to use the opportunity to enhance my knowledge of the pasture-based dairy industry and learn how to get the best from grass.”

The John Platt scholarship is in memory of John Platt, a former Chair of Reaseheath Governors and former Chairman, President and Honorary Life Warden of the Cheshire Agricultural Society.

Presenting the awards, Cheshire Show Director Keith Thomas said that both Rachel and Simon had been outstanding candidates and had shown the drive, ambition and desire to seek out new information and technology which would benefit the Cheshire farming community.

The John Platt Travel Scholarship is awarded annually and is open to young people from a rural background who live or work in Cheshire. Applications are being taken for next year.

For further details see www.reaseheath.ac.uk/john-platt-scholarship  or email davek@reaseheath.ac.uk

 

Reaseheath College’s dairy technologists celebrate first year success

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Twenty four trainee dairy technologists reached a significant career milestone when they completed the first year of their Eden training programme at Reaseheath College in Nantwich, Cheshire, earlier this month.

The technologists work for leading companies in the dairy industry and attend the Eden International Dairy Academy for block release training, spending the rest of their time in their workplace. They will graduate with a globally recognised foundation degree in dairy technology on completion of their three year course. The education initiative is supported by key players in the dairy industry and is aimed at producing world-class staff. There are currently 75 trainees on the programme.

While at college, the technologists gain hands-on practical experience in Reaseheath’s industry-standard, food and dairy processing plant. The facilities enable the students to see food production from start to finish and also to carry out new product development.

Three of the first year cohort were in line for special honours as they celebrated completing their initial year of study.

Darius Barkunas, who works for Arla Foods, was selected as the Best Practical Student. The 27 year-old began working for Arla in Settle, Yorkshire, six years ago as an agency worker and has progressed to becoming a process technician. He was selected for his practical skills and for his ability to explain his practical knowledge to others.

He said: “Being offered a place on the Eden programme was like winning the lottery and I cannot thank my company enough for supporting me. Coming to Reaseheath is brilliant. The lecturers are totally dedicated to their job and the facilities are wonderful.”

Mike Reid, 29, a Dairy Crest employee, received the Best Academic Student award. for consistently achieving outstanding exam and assignment results and for his exceptional attention to detail. Mike has worked for Dairy Crest in Gloucester for 11 years and has immersed himself in the academic content of his course despite having done no serious studying since his ‘A’ levels in 2002.

He said: “Coming to college after such a long break was a big cultural challenge but everyone at Reaseheath has been extremely friendly and helpful. I am delighted that my company has chosen to support me through this qualification.”

Shaun McKenzie, 18, from Muller Dairy was voted the Dairy Culture Student of the Year after receiving the student vote for the way he supports his colleagues. The former apprentice is now a permanent staff member at Muller’s Market Drayton base and is mentored by Eden graduate Mitchell Tullett.

Presenting the awards, Adam Brazendale, Business Development Manager for the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink said: “Eden students are at the forefront of an exciting future for the UK dairy industry. This is a unique training programme aimed at supporting and developing skills within the dairy processing industry.

“The Eden programme is an excellent qualification and we are proud to have Reaseheath as our Dairy Champion for Food and Drink.”

Read more about the Eden programme here.

 

 

 

Reaseheath construction students build on skills for competition

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Three Reaseheath College, Nantwich, construction students proved they have outstanding skills by impressing judges at an Olympic style competition to find the nation’s most talented young tradespeople.

Advanced carpentry apprentice Matt Williams, 18, won the senior carpentry and joinery section in the north west regional round of Skillbuild and qualified for the national final in September. Winners from there may go on to represented Britain in WorldSkills International, a global event which in 2015 will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Advanced bricklayer Dave Ford came third in the senior bricklaying section and remains in contention for the final while advanced bricklaying apprentice Leonard Thomas impressed the judges but missed out on a place in the same section.

The regional round, held in Burnley, was for college trainees aged 21 and under and attracted entries from colleges from throughout the north west. The contestants had to interpret a drawn plan and demonstrate a range of skills on different challenges over a five hour period.

Matt, who attends Reaseheath on day release, is a site joiner for Ewson Contractors of Malpas and lives in Whitchurch.

He said: “A lot of good joiners took part in the competition and I was really surprised to win. I just tried to remember all the tips that my tutors had taught me.”

Dave Ford, 19, of Northwich is currently a full-time construction student at Reaseheath while Leonard, 19 is a bricklayer for Farmer and Tapley Ltd of Market Drayton and lives in Childs Ercall.

Construction Instructor Danny Collins, who has organised Reaseheath’s Skillbuild teams for the past seven years, said: “The students represented Reaseheath extremely well and the whole department is very proud of their achievements.

“The competition was very stiff but they all gave a very good account of themselves and gained valuable experience at the same time. We were delighted that the outstanding quality of their work was recognised by the judging panel.”

Find out more about Construction courses at Reaseheath here.

 

Reaseheath rowers to raise funds for cancer charity

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Forty staff from Reaseheath College in Nantwich have signed up to take part in the Chester Dragon Boat Festival to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Two teams of Reaseheath rowers will take on other dragon boat teams in the charity race, which takes place on Sunday June 22 on the River Dee at Chester.

Rowing the 40 foot long boats, the teams will complete three timed races over a short course of around 250 metres, with their single fastest time used for qualification into the grand final.

The volunteers are now busy collecting for Macmillan Cancer Support at www.justgiving.com/reaseheath-dragon-boat

Reaseheath Student Services Assistant Manager Greg Otto organised the teams after being contacted by Carl Fisher, a Cheshire volunteer for the charity. College staff previously took part in the dragon boat festival five years ago, successfully raising £550 for BIRD (Brain Injury and Rehabilitation Development).

Greg said: “We really enjoyed the 2009 event and everyone is looking forward to this year’s challenge. Every department has a staff member who is taking part, so it’s a truly cross college effort. Our new gym has just opened, so hopefully our team members will be using the new facilities to prepare for the big day.”

Sarah Page, Senior Fundraising Manager for Cheshire, said: “We love this event because it really puts the ‘fun’ into fundraising and we are delighted that Reaseheath has nominated us as their charity. Macmillan needs to raise over £1million for cancer services across Cheshire each year. Our mission is to support local people and fund raising efforts from companies like Reaseheath is vital to our work.”

There are boats still available in the Chester Dragon Boat Festival. Other companies who would like to get involved and support Macmillan Cancer Support can email fundraising@macmillan.org.uk or call 0300 1000 200. Alternatively businesses can choose another local charity to support.

 

Speedy learning curve for future engineers

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Future engineers from local primary and secondary schools learned about the science and technology behind a 1,000 mph record attempt during a visit to Reaseheath College in Nantwich.

Twelve schools from Nantwich, Crewe, Sandbach, Haslington, Stoke and Cannock were invited to take part in activities involving the Bloodhound Supersonic Car (SSC), the vehicle which will attempt the 1,000mph land speed record in South Africa in 2016.

Georgina Hardy and Adam Caunt, both 13, from Brine Leas School with their Kinex car

Georgina Hardy and Adam Caunt, both 13, from Brine Leas School with their Kinex car

A replica of Bloodhound SSC, along with its education team, was a key attraction at Reaseheath’s Family Festival in May and remained on campus for a week to allow local pupils to learn more about the exciting project.

The event was run in support of STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths), a national education initiative to inspire young people to consider engineering as a career. The UK needs to attract 100,000 new engineers into the industry each year and currently recruits just 30,000 annually.

Up to 120 pupils at Key Stages 2 and 3 visited Reaseheath each day to learn about Bloodhound SSC’s development, which is being supported by some of the world’s leading engineering companies including Rolls Royce.

Braden Jones, Ben Jackson and Bloodhound ambassador Claire Stewart watch Joshua Malkin on simulator

The young people had a chance to look at the car and those who asked the best questions were rewarded with a drive on a simulator. Other activities included constructing and testing an air driven Kinex car, 3D printing and planning a specially prepared desert base for the car and its support teams.

Brine Leas School, Nantwich, Year 8 pupil Georgina Hardy, 13, who had just tested the aerodynamics of her Kinex car, said: “I don’t know what I’m going to do for a career but this has definitely given me an insight into engineering. The whole day has been very interesting and a lot of fun.”

Reaseheath FE Marketing Officer Stephanie Owen explained: “We invited our local schools into college so they could make the most of the wonderful opportunity offered by Bloodhound and its team. Reaseheath totally supports STEM projects and we hope that some of our young visitors will be inspired to become the engineers of the future.”

For more about careers in engineering and science see www.reaseheath.ac.uk/engineering and www.bloodhoundssc.com

 

Results prove Reaseheath makes a huge difference to students and to its local community

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Reaseheath College contributes £85.7 million in additional income per year to the local business com­munity, a new report shows.

This was one of the key findings in a recent independent analysis of the social and economic impact of the Nantwich, Cheshire, college by Economic Modelling Specialists International (emsi).

Figures from the report show that Reaseheath generates income equal to 0.3% of Cheshire and Warrington’s total economy, a figure which represents 3,426 average wage jobs.

Statistics show that the skills and qualifications acquired by former Reaseheath students bolstered Cheshire and Warrington’s economy by enabling employers to increase outputs. This added £65.7 million in income to the regional economy per year.

The analysis also found that the expenditure of Reaseheath and its staff generated approximately £19.6 million in new income to the total regional output per year. In addition, non local students attending the college brought in over £407,000 in new income by spending on goods and services.

Reaseheath Principal Meredydd David

Reaseheath Principal Meredydd David

Summing up, the report states: “Reaseheath College makes a significant positive impact not only on its students but on society, taxpayers and the local business community. Not only does the college spend money within Cheshire and Warrington and employ a large staff, it also trains students to be valuable employees in the region’s workforce. These roles all add value to local businesses by increasing their level of outputs and generating a need for further jobs, creating additional income.”

Students also benefit financially from studying at Reaseheath. The report found that every £1 students paid for their education yielded £7.30 in higher wages in the future – an 18.9% annual return on investment

Statistics showed that students paid a total of £2.5 million to cover the cost of tuition fees, books and supplies in 2012 -2013 and that they also lost £21.9 million which they would have earned had they been working instead of learning. In return they should expect to receive £178.1 million (present value) in increased earnings over their working lives.

The report declared: “Reaseheath’s mission is to deliver excellence to its students. The experiences they receive at college have the power to shape the rest of their lives and put them on the path to becoming happy and productive members of their ommunities. Reaseheath also plays a key role in helping them increase their employability and achieve their individual potential.”

Another key point to come out of the report was that the general public will receive £6.00 in return for every £1 invested in Reaseheath – an annual return of 18.4%. The gain was through added income and in savings to society

Figures showed that society in general invested £66.8 million in Reaseheath through direct outlays and the loss of potential output from students who were studying rather than working. In repayment, society received £401.3 million (present value) over the course of the students’ working lives through higher taxes and social benefits such as reduced crime, lower unemployment and increased health and well-being.

Reaseheath Principal Meredydd David commented: “We are delighted that this independent report highlights Reaseheath’s major input into the economy and particularly the way we are able to support and stimulate income for our local community. It also underlines what we have long believed – that high level education and skills is a hugely important economic driver.”

He emphasised that, to ensure that its students had the competitive edge in the jobs market, Reaseheath has invested £40 million into specialist facilities and resources. A further £23 million of investment was planned over the next two years to provide a national centre for horticulture and environmental management, further halls of residence and additional social and recreational facilities.