Homeless young gardeners win heritage award

Homeless young people have been rewarded for their work at Scotney Castle. The group, who receive support from Centrepoint, has won the regional group award for heritage from the Nationwide Community and Heritage awards, which recognise the importance of protecting and celebrating the rich history and diversity of the UK.

The London Development Agency funded the group to join a Level 1 City & Guilds horticulture course run in partnership with Capel Manor College and as part of it, the students spent time at Scotney Castle.

It’s good to grasp the skills now and be able to use them later when I have a job and move on from Centrepoint

They spent four days living on site and worked with the National Trust’s gardening team on conservation projects to maintain the gardens and wooded estate. This included turf laying around the manor house, building raised wood chip paths and the renovation of the old Victorian vegetable gardens as part of the planned restoration of the huge walled garden to its former glory.

Duane, 21 who helped to restore the garden, said: “I really enjoyed the course. I loved it when we mowed the lawns and built the new paths. It’s good to grasp the skills now and be able to use them later when I have a job and move on from Centrepoint.”