London's royal parks seeks budding apprentice gardeners

Former apprentices Verity, Brent and Bradley at Hyde Park's 'super nursery'

The charity that looks after London's historic royal parks is offering 10 new places for its "renowned apprenticeship scheme".

The Royal Parks charity says it is "looking for aspiring horticulturists" to work with "top" gardeners.

Those selected will study for a minimum of two years and will be paid the National Living Wage of £11.44 per hour.

The charity says the scheme is open to people of all ages.

The Royal Parks cares for green spaces across London, including Hyde Park, The Regent's Park and Kensington Gardens.

'Can-do approach'

The 10 chosen apprentices will be taught skills such as plant identification, propagation and landscape design.

The role offered is full-time, and will see students working in the parks themselves, as well as spending one day a week at Capel Manor College's Regent's Park campus.

Apprentices will also work at the Hyde Park 'super nursery', which grows 450,000 plants a year.

The Royal Parks says it is "encouraging people with a positive attitude, a can-do approach, and a passion for gardening, to apply for the renowned apprenticeship scheme and learn from gardeners at the top of their game".

It says former apprentices have gone on to work for the charity itself as well as at Kew Gardens, Crystal Palace Football Club, and Buckingham Palace.

Kensington Gardens, one of London's eight historic royal parks

Adam Stoter, assistant park manager at The Royal Parks, warned the job could be tough: "They should enjoy working outdoors in all weathers and be prepared for early starts."

He also added: "Our apprenticeship programme will foster life-long skills in horticulture, to provide a solid foundation for a successful career in this field."

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'So rewarding'

The recruiters to the scheme say many of the charity's apprentices have entered the role after changing careers later in life.

Erin Whittaker, who is 28, studied art and design at university and worked in office and retail jobs before joining the scheme.

The third-year apprentice said she had never expected her life "to go in this direction", but was glad it had. She added: "It can be quite physical, but it's so rewarding.

The Royal Parks says applications for the scheme have to be submitted before the deadline of 21 April.

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