Wealden Times | WT170 | April 2016 | Garden supplement inside
Wealden Times - The lifestyle magazine for the Weald
Wealden Times - The lifestyle magazine for the Weald
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Foodie treats to look<br />
forward to at the fair<br />
Tickets are now on sale for <strong>Wealden</strong> <strong>Times</strong><br />
Midsummer Fair at Hole Park this June – and<br />
we’ve got the usual array of stands and events,<br />
from hand-picked exhibitors providing a fabulous<br />
shopping experience to the Priceless People Wellbeing<br />
Festival. Whatever your reason for going, there’s<br />
plenty to do and see. In the run-up to the fair, we’ll<br />
be chatting to some of the exhibitors who will be<br />
sharing their passion for all things fresh and local<br />
with visitors. Here we talk to Melissa from Plants<br />
& Produce, part of the Canterbury Oast Trust...<br />
How long has the nursery been<br />
around? The Canterbury Oast Trust<br />
was set up over 30 years ago by a<br />
pioneering group of parents. There has<br />
always been an element of horticultural<br />
activity. The nursery in its current<br />
location, at the Rare Breeds Centre,<br />
Woodchurch, has been operating for<br />
over 20 years.<br />
What kind of plants do you grow? Our trainees help<br />
to grow thousands of bedding and perennial plants each year<br />
and we specialize in herbs, fruit and vegetable plants. We<br />
grow heritage tomatoes such as the beautifully pink ‘Brandy<br />
Wine’ and unusual chili plants such as ‘Black Pearl’ and<br />
‘Pinocchio’s Nose’ and a vast range of herbs, from Strawberry<br />
Mint to Orange Thyme. We also have a range of edible<br />
flowers and a beautiful assortment of cottage garden plants,<br />
shrubs and unusual perennials. We like to grow varieties that<br />
you won’t find in the supermarket – this way they are more<br />
fascinating for us to grow and more interesting for you to eat!<br />
Who does the propagation, potting on and plant<br />
care? We have over 50 learning disabled horticulture<br />
trainees at the nursery throughout the week. They get<br />
involved in every aspect of growing the plants and crops.<br />
This could be selecting seeds or serving customers in the<br />
plant shop. Our horticultural trainees learn a variety of skills<br />
such as propagation, plant maintenance, use of horticulture<br />
machinery, harvesting and customer service. They can also<br />
undertake formal accredited horticultural training with us<br />
through City and Guilds up to NVQ level 1.<br />
What is the philosophy behind the Rare Breeds<br />
Centre Plants and Produce?<br />
The Canterbury Oast Trust is all about supporting the<br />
independence of people with learning disabilities. We support<br />
people to make decisions about their lives and support them<br />
to live the life that they choose. If they choose to learn<br />
about horticulture then they are able to access the nursery,<br />
where they are able to develop their skills and train in a busy<br />
commercial environment. It is amazing what our service users<br />
achieve at the nursery and the beautiful plants that they grow.<br />
Our horticultural trainees really enjoy seeing their plants grow<br />
and they are involved in every aspect from seed-to-sale. As<br />
the plants are growing the service users also grow in skills,<br />
confidence and independence.<br />
What do you like most about visiting the <strong>Wealden</strong><br />
<strong>Times</strong> Fair? It is one of the highlights of our year. We<br />
enjoy attending external events to promote the nursery and<br />
the work of Canterbury Oast Trust. Attending local events<br />
with our service users helps with community integration and<br />
helps to change perceptions about learning disability.<br />
For more details please see our website: www.rarebreeds.org.<br />
uk or www.c-o-t.org.uk. The Rare Breeds Centre Plants &<br />
Produce shop is open all year (except Mondays in November<br />
to March). The nursery, shop and restaurant are also open<br />
to non-visitors to the Rare Breeds Centre. We are happy to<br />
give tours of the nursery growing site to groups and garden<br />
societies etc. Please contact us for further details:<br />
nursery@c-o-t.org.uk or call Melissa Tebbutt or<br />
Lyn Hope on 07795 515182<br />
<strong>Wealden</strong> <strong>Times</strong> Midsummer Fair runs from 9-11 June at Hole Park, Rolvenden. To book your tickets visit www.wealdentimes.co.uk/events<br />
151 www.wealdentimes.co.uk<br />
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