If you’ve ever explored the back streets of Borough, you might have found Red Cross Garden. Originally designed by Octavia Hill, a pioneer of green spaces and social reform in England (and one of three founding members of the National Trust), it is still a place of social empowerment to this day.
It is currently the location of the Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST), which runs the Future Gardeners course.The intensive programme sees students work in some of London’s best known gardens and green spaces, study to complete a City and Guilds qualification in horticulture, and receive one-to-one support in developing a career in the gardening sector.
This programme is open to anyone who lives in London, prioritising people who have out of education or training, been long-time unemployed or those who might not otherwise have been able to afford a horticultural course.
Now in its nineth year, the 20th cohort of gardeners graduated last Friday from Red Cross Garden. Since the programme began in 2016, more than two hundred people have graduated from the scheme.
Led by Louisa Mansfield and Shereen Chung-Blake, the programme is focused on both practical gardening experience in real life settings and the resources to find a job at the end of the programme. “When Future Gardeners graduate they leave us equipped with a strong enough gardening CV to get an interview, the knowledge of where to look for roles and confidence to apply,” Mansfield Explained.
“We take future gardeners on study days to some of some of the capital's most prestigious gardens and green spaces. We’ve partnered with gardens such as Kew, The Royal Parks, Chiswick House and the Chelsea Physic Garden, all who take students for two weeks of work experience in the middle of the course. More than 70 per cent of graduates find work three to six months after completing the course.”
“Future Gardeners will always be a part of my life.”
I also spoke to Poppy Jones-Pierpoint, who graduated from the scheme in 2018 and now works full time in the Decorative Nursery at Kew. In her role she has hosted some of the Future Gardeners for their work experience, giving others on the programme access to the same opportunities.
“Future Gardeners has opened the doors to the world of horticulture for me,” said Jones-Pierpoint. “Before I started the course I wasn’t sure where to go with my career, but Louisa and the programme set me on a path to working full-time at Kew doing something I love. Future Gardeners will always be a part of my life.”
Jasmine Pasch, another graduate of the scheme volunteering at the graduation told me how becoming a Future Gardener allowed her to combine her passion for early years learning with horticulture after completing the programme.
“I’d always had an interest in biology and creatures, but that got sidelined when I started working,” said Pasch. “I had no idea I could earn a living working with plants. Future Gardeners awakened me to a world of possibility and a new me. Initially my husband thought I’d gone mad but when he saw the joy it started to bring me he changed his mind. Now I use my experience to give young people in London the opportunity to learn about nature”.
“I had no idea I could earn a living working with plants.”
The Future Gardeners programming is developing and supported by the team at BOST, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Peabody at Thamesmead have also begun to deliver their own version of the Future Gardeners scheme, to develop the next generation of London’s gardeners.
You can learn more about the Future Gardeners programme and register your interest on the Bankside Open Spaces Trust website.
