Melksham Town Council and the Bloom in Melksham group have been working closely with Wiltshire College, Lackham, in order to find ways to enhance Melksham and make the town look even better throughout the year.
As part of this initiative, around 50 students from the college came to Melksham on 21st and 22nd September to work for two days on horticultural and gardening projects around the town.
The projects included rebuilding the broken pond in the Prince of Wales Garden, fixing the wall of a raised flowerbed in the Market Place and taking care of the planters by King Street car park.
Ben Skinner, lecturer in land based foundation studies at Wiltshire College Lackham said, ‘Our students thoroughly enjoyed their time working in the town centre. They were able to take part in a wide variety of practical tasks such as rebuilding the raised pond, repairing a stone wall and also weeding and tidying flower beds and hedgerows.
“The fact that this project was local to Lackham made it relatable to the students, and it was clear to see that they were taking pride in the hard work they were doing.
“Having the opportunity to get out in the community and gain work experience is an important part of our learners’ college experience, enabling them to fully prepare for the next stage in life – whether that be employment or higher levels of study.
“Both staff and students are very much looking forward to continuing and developing this partnership with Melksham Town Council, and we’re already in discussions about other exciting projects for the future.”
As it was early in the term for new students of the college, the project gave the students a great opportunity to practise what they have been learning and get to know each other as classmates for the year ahead. Alicia Husk, one of the students said, ‘I loved working in Melksham, we worked really hard and made a big difference.’
The college will continue to work closely with Melksham Town Council on projects throughout the year and this is the beginning of a great horticultural relationship between the council and the college that will continue to grow.