Wednesday 29 July 2020

Beautiful Gardens you can escape to here in Cumbria whilst also helping charities!



The National Garden Scheme gives visitors unique access to over 3,700 exceptional private gardens in England and Wales, and raises impressive amounts of money for nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cake so below is the list of gardens here in Cumbria you can currently visit during this time. Book to visit a garden on their website http://ngs.org.uk/

Thanks to the generosity of garden owners, volunteers and visitors we have donated a total of £58 million to nursing and health charities and made an annual donation of £3 million in 2019. Our core beneficiaries include Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK and The Queen’s Nursing Institute.

The National Garden Scheme doesn’t just open beautiful gardens for charity – we are passionate about the physical and mental health benefits of gardens too. We also support charities doing amazing work in gardens and health and grant bursaries to help community gardening projects.



YEWBARROW -  Grange over sands, LA11 6BE -2nd August/6th September. A tropical paradise with exotic and rare plants and dramatic views over Morecambe Bay. Many feature including a Japanese garden with infinity pool, orangery, Italianate terraces and kitchen garden. These gardens are open -by arrangement.






LOWFELL WEST -Crosthwaite, Kendal LA8 8JG -Open every Friday/Saturday and Sunday. A woodland garden with views over the Winster valley. Unusual shrubs & trees set amongst rocky outcrops, native hedges and plant rich meadows. Hidden in the wood is a romantic gypsy caravan. Has access to many woodland walks through the adjacent Cumbria Wildlife Trust reserve. These gardens are open -by arrangement.



Grange Fell Allotments -Grange over Sands LA11 6HB. Open 16th August. Impressive allotments with lots of different styles of planting/techniques etc plus communal areas with herbaceous borders and local var. Apple trees. 




Larch Cottage -Penrith CA10 2DR. 13 August & 17th September. Lots to see and buy at this wonderful nursery, lot of choice plants & trees and an extensive range of garden pots & statues etc, with access to the lower gardens and private chapel (built by the owner for his wedding). 




Woodend House -Egremont, CA22 2TA A garden packed with colourful and imaginative planting with organic potager, mini meadows, wild life pools and lots more. Mini quiz & trail for children (entry free).





National Garden Scheme,Cumbria
Tel: 01946 813017
Website: ngs.org.uk
Follow them on Facebook  Cumbria NGS Twitter @CumbriaNGS

Thursday 9 July 2020

Help Secure A Place in Your Company for an Apprentice here in Cumbria with the 100 in 100 project!



Carlisle College has launched a new initiative to secure training for apprentices in the wake of coronavirus. The new scheme will be looking to secure training for 100 apprentices within 100 days.

It kicked off on the 1st of July and it will run to October 9. Its aim is to help potential apprentices secure meaningful employment with local businesses, as well as making it easier for employers to invest in skills development and recruitment.

Head over to http://www.carlisle.ac.uk/100in100/ for more information on this fantastic initiative and what your company will receive in return for your support. Or see it posted below. 

It is predicted that coronavirus could see more than 600,000 people under the age of 25 without employment, risking long-term damage to their career prospects.

Carlisle College is excited to be working in association with Carlisle City Council on the project as well as a number of other strategic partners.

With more than 250 new apprenticeship candidates for the 20/21 academic year, the college is hoping to secure employers' support to find candidates for positions within local organisations.

Grant Glendinning, principal of Carlisle College, said: “Carlisle College is proud to launch 100 in 100, an initiative to help boost skills and productivity growth within our region.

“As a local provider of post-16 education and training, we are keen to minimise the impact of Covid-19 on future learners by helping support and create apprenticeship opportunities.

“100 in 100 is designed to accelerate growth, productivity and employment opportunities through skills acquisition and development.”

Leader of Carlisle City Council, Councillor John Mallinson, said: “We’re pleased to support the 100 in 100 Carlisle College project.

“We are doing all we can to support our local economy and would encourage businesses to sign up to the initiative.

“We are proud to have a well-established apprenticeship programme and will continue supporting the development of our employees.”

A dedicated 100 in 100 section of the Carlisle College website is set to go-live in support of the initiative.

This will provide employers with an online space to collaborate, share best practice, and celebrate training and apprenticeship success.

Carlisle College currently works with more than 700 apprentices across 350 local leading businesses and has an extensive apprenticeship provision of more than 30 programmes including adult care, business administration, construction, customer service, digital marketing, engineering, IT and motor vehicle.

Their programmes range from Level 2 through to degree level apprenticeships.

100 in 100 is designed to minimise the impact of Covid-19 on future learners by helping support the apprenticeship supply chain, securing 100 apprenticeship opportunities in 100 days.

To find out more about how you can support 100 in 100, please contact apprenticeships@carlisle.ac.uk.