Vlogging

Hi everyone,

This is my first attempt at vlogging, please don't be too harsh. :)

Creating videos like this definitely does not come naturally to me but I am going to give it a go and see how it goes.

LANTRA Learner of the year awards 2018

Hi Everyone, 

Late in March I got the wonderful chance to attend the LANTRA Learner of the Year Awards 2018 at Doubletree by Hilton Dunblane Hydro. It was a great chance to meet like-minded individuals and to celebrate the importance of teaching within the land-based sectors. I would like to congratulate everyone on their achievements. 

Short but sweet today,
Thanks for reading.  

I have included a link to the LANTRA website and below this years winners are listed.

https://www.lantra.co.uk/scotland
 https://www.lantra.co.uk/scotland/2017-Lantra-learner-of-year-winners

Overall Winner for Land-based and Aquaculture Learner of the Year

Megan Rowland

Overall Runner-up for Land-based and Aquaculture Learner of the Year  

Reece McNaughton

 Modern Apprentice of the Year  

Sine Soszka

 Agriculture Learner of the Year:  
 
Winner: Sine Soszka 
Runner-up: Kieran Paxton

 Aquaculture Learner of the Year:  

Winner: Alan Tangny 
Runner-up: Scott Forder

Equine Learner of the Year:  

Winner: Laura Manby 
Runner-up: Heather Moir

Fisheries Management and Environmental Conservation Learner of the Year:  

Winner: Scott Milne 
Runner-up: Jamie Gemmell

 Game and Wildlife Learner of the Year:  

Winner: Megan Rowland 
Connor Aubrey

Horticulture Learner of the Year: 
  
Winner: Reece McNaughton 
Runner-up: Jennifer Wright

 Land-based Engineering Learner of the Year:  

Winner: Cameron Howie 
Runner-up: Mathew Howie

Trees and Timber Learner of the Year:  

Winner: Aaron Ross 
Runner-up: Reece King

 Higher Education Learner of the Year:  

Winner: Dr Jenna Ross 
 Runner-up: Claire Simonetta 
HND-level award winner: Caitlin Ross

Secondary Schools Award: 

Winner: Wallace Hall Academy 
Ullapool High School

CARAS Award Winners:  

Kieran Paxton 
Robert Pickford 
Dr Jenna Ross 
Megan Rowland 
Sine Soszka

Jean’s Jam Award:  

Winner: Nigel Gibb

Tam Tod Trophy 

Scott Milne

Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society.

February came and went in a blink of an eye and so much has happened over the past month. I got to visit Stowe gardens, Kew gardens and Woburn gardens. I also had the huge honour of receiving the Carter-Patterson Memorial Medal from the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society for my achievements as a student of horticulture in Scotland.

It was a fantastic evening meeting key individuals in Scottish horticulture. I am truly humbled to have been chosen for the award.
The best memory I have from school is being given a single broad bean seed by my biology teacher as a project. We all placed our seeds in a glass of water and for the next 6 weeks studied its progress as it developed roots and a shoot. I think this sparked my interest in nature and the surrounding outdoor world.
Not long ago I visited Kew Gardens where they had an exhibition with some of Mark Frith's drawings of trees on the late Felix Dennis's estate. Beside these drawings there was a quote from a poem written by Felix Dennis. "Whosoever plants a tree, winks at immortality". I have never had a quote speak to me so much before. It puts so plainly exactly how I feel about plants, trees and the wider world. In my career, I want to bring gardening and the environment to the forefront of teaching and work together with people to create a better world for everyone.
 I am very thankful to my family for pushing me in the right direction, and to the tutors throughout my life who have seen the passion I have for horticulture. Who have given me the opportunity to work with knowledgeable people and have amazing experiences which I can take with me through the rest of my career.
 I would like to thank the Caley (RCHS) for having the awards ceremony to recognise those people, from all walks of life, working within horticulture and botany. These people deserve all the praise that we can give for their enthusiasm and commitment to horticulture. It is a huge privilege to have been nominated.

I highly recommend if you are interested in having a career in horticulture, whether you are a career changer or first career, checking out these sites below as they have all helped me hugely:

https://www.sruc.ac.uk/

https://thecaley.org.uk/

 http://www.pgg.org.uk/

http://www.rbge.org.uk/education/home


http://hbgtp.org.uk/