Groups of learners from Yeoman Academy School, Mansfield Woodhouse, have been visiting allotments to find out more about career opportunities available at Mansfield District Council.

The sessions have taken place at Northfield Avenue Community Allotments as part of the authority’s Career Ambassador Programme.
Council officers work with secondary, SEND, college, and alternative providers to help shape pupils’ career pathways and give them insight into the working world.

Currently, there are more than 60 employees enrolled in the programme.

The allotment workshops have been tailored for the SEND pupils to ensure maximum exposure to the opportunities in the council and the value of voluntary work in their local community.

Former district councillor and horticultural specialist Amanda Fisher (pictured above) manages the community allotment in Mansfield Woodhouse, created during the Covid-19 lockdown. She took learners on a tour of the site, introduced them to chickens on site, and taught them how to repot sprouting seedlings.

She said: “We’ve been at this site for over two years. It was just baron; there was nothing on here when we took it on. Now, two years down the line, you can’t move for raised beds and plants.

“Allotments are a great place for children. It’s not just about gardening, it’s about being outside, working as part of a team, and learning to eat healthily and finding out where food actually comes from — not the supermarkets.”

The allotment is host to a variety of seedlings, with sweetcorn, cucumbers, lettuces, tomatoes, cabbages, cauliflowers, peas, radish, courgettes, potatoes, runner beans, and gooseberries a small selection of what is grown by volunteers. All the produce is then donated back into the community free.

Mansfield mayor Andy Abrahams said: “Visits to our green spaces and allotments for pupils is a valuable afternoon well-spent.

“Not only are they enjoying the health and wellbeing benefits of being outdoors, but they are also experiencing the types of jobs and volunteering opportunities available right on their doorstep.

“I am pleased that with our Career Ambassador programme, the council’s Talent and Skills team have now conducted activities in every secondary, SEND, college, and alternative provisions in Mansfield.”

Yeoman Park teacher and careers lead Catherine Ketteringham added: “We thank Mansfield District Council. Amanda was so welcoming, knowledgeable, and engaging.

“It was lovely for our learners to see vegetables, fruit, and flowers growing on a bigger scale from the seeds we have planted and are growing in school.

“Visits like these are so important for our learners as they enable them to engage socially within our community and learn life skills and employability skills that they can use in preparation for adulthood.”