Young growers win industry sponsored scholarships

The David Colegrave Foundation (DCF) has awarded sponsored scholarships by Floranova, Ball Colegrave and BPOA/Peter Seabrook to young horticulturalists.
 
The horticultural charity is pleased to be supporting:

• Lesley Palmer, Easton College, with the Floranova Ornamental Horticulture Research Scholarship of £1,500
• Grower’s Study Tour, organised by the BPOA and HDC, with the Ball Colegrave Scholarship of £2,500
• Jamie Satterthwaite, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), with the British Protected Ornamentals Association - Peter Seabrook Bursary of £1,000

Delighted to be receiving the £1,500 award, Lesley Palmer, who is studying a BTEC Extended Diploma in Landscaping and Amenity Horticulture at Easton College, commented: ‘I am so pleased to have been awarded the Floranova Ornamental Horticulture Research Scholarship, and excited by the opportunity to get some work experience with Floranova – a world leading plant breeding company. This will give me a real insight into the development of new plant varieties – a great start to my horticultural career.’
Kate Monaghan, Supply Chain Director at Floranova, adds: “I am thrilled that Lesley has been awarded the Floranova Ornamental Horticulture Research scholarship. At Floranova we are committed to developing new talent and Lesley demonstrates the passion and commitment we desperately need in our industry. It is a pleasure to support Lesley during her horticultural studies.”
 
Ball Colegrave’s £2,500 investment will support young growers on a Grower’s Study Tour organised by BPOA and HDC. The tour is offering an intensive week of visiting protected ornamental nurseries across the East Coast of America.
Michael Smith, of the BPOA Technical Committee, and W.D. Smith & Son director explains further: “In the early days of my career I was lucky enough to be sent on a similar study tour. Visiting these nurseries was an inspiration to my career, as well as spending so much time with established growers on the tour. We want to give some young growers the same opportunity to help build a future for our sector”.
 
BSc Horticulture student at SRUC in Edinburgh, Jamie Satterthwaite, is keen to explore a career as a grower with a focus on bedding plants and hardy ornamentals. Jamie says “I am very pleased to be awarded the bursary which I would like to use for travel to Australia and I am going to discuss the potential for employment via business contacts from BPOA members”.
Pleased to be supporting his journey, the BPOA’s Simon Davenport comments: “The BPOA congratulates Jamie on the award of the first BPOA/Peter Seabrook Bursary and wishes him well with his plans to travel and further his studies. The association members are keen to foster relations with horticulture students and support their studies as they become the new entrants to the protected ornamentals production industry. We look forward to talking to Jamie about his ideas for his own study tour”. “We are happy to recognise, with this bursary, the championing work of Peter Seabrook in helping to develop horticulture education for school and college students”, he added.
 
The DCF Sponsored Scholarships follow the Student Scholarships which received a record number of applications this year. Fifteen colleges across the UK put forward students from which five were awarded £1,000 each.
 
Scholarship season is now closed for this educational year, reopening in October 2014. For more details, go to www.davidcolegravefoundation.org.uk.