College Green Team supports the re-development of Abbey Gardens

November 29, 2021

Following a successful National Trust grant application, Anglesey Abbey invited Cambridge Regional College to support a re-development project to revive part of the Abbey gardens.

Cambridge Regional College and Anglesey Abbey have a longstanding partnership in which the Cambridge Green Team support the National Trust gardeners with the general upkeep of the Abbey gardens. The Green Team is a course funded by the Adult Education Budget that enables adults with special educational needs to continue their learning under the tutorship of Supervisor, Andrew Fountain. The partnership with Anglesey Abbey provides the opportunity for individuals to gain real-life work experience, alongside their college-based learning, to prepare them for employment. The team attend the Abbey twice weekly to undertake general horticultural duties alongside the National Trust team to maintain and re-develop the 125-acre site.

Tom Fradd, Outdoor Spaces Manager at Anglesey Abbey said, “Anglesey Abbey has benefited enormously form the work provided by Andy and the Green Team. Their visits cover varied outdoor tasks from woodland coppicing, butterfly surveys, spreading tonnes of woodchip and compost on our beds and paths, and recently some projects to revamp some small areas of the garden. We have made such good progress together and I hope the team enjoy their visits. We are grateful for the support received from Andy and the team at Cambridge Regional College.”

Following a successful grant application for funding, Anglesey Abbey invited The Green Team to work with them on creating an avenue of Prunus Accolade trees leading visitors from the Olympic Courtship sculpture along Olympian Way towards the Mill. The Green Team has spent the last few weeks working with the National Trust team to prepare the area for planting, which has included clearing the space, planning planting positions, and digging holes ready for the cherry blossom trees to be planted. This week, planting of the trees began to allow for adequate bedding time over the winter months ready for the first blossom in Spring 2022.

Jeremy Lloyd, Director of Supported Learning and Inclusion at Cambridge Regional College said, “This once again shows how partnership working enables our adult learners with special educational needs to take pride in their local areas, contribute to projects which are enjoyed by visitors and other people and to develop their skill set and employability skills. We are extremely proud of these positive impacts that our students make and are always looking for other avenues to branch into.”