Thornham – Apple Propagation Project with the Prince’s Trust

The project trains people with physical difficulties, mental disabilities and disaffected young people in horticulture and life skills, hopefully providing a stepping stone to paid employment. The other two partnership activities are Thornham Walks and Field Centre, Thornham Walks look after the general public who come to Thornham for recreation, approximately 16,000 people a year use the 12 miles of waymarked walks and take the opportunity to learn more about the countryside. Thornham Field Centre provides outdoor education to about 5000 children a year.

As part of the Thornham Field Centre Trust, an educational charity, the Walled Garden was restored from a derelict state in 2000 to provide a centre for horticultural therapy. The extensive glass houses were renovated with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the gardens laid out as a walled orchard. The garden is open to the public and regularly used by school groups. The Walled Garden clients maintain the garden with the help of volunteers. There are two wide herbaceous borders, as well as a number of fruit trees, box hedging and a vegetable area at the back. The project is managed by Karen Miller who has qualifications in horticulture, care, garden design and higher and further education.

Accreditation
The horticultural project is accredited by both Norfolk and Suffolk Social Services. We are currently working with West Suffolk College on developing new land based courses which the government are introducing, leading to an alternative qualification to GCSE’s for students unable to follow the National Curriculum.

Apple Propagation
Between 1840 and 1850 the Head Gardener at Thornham Walled Garden, John Perkins, raised the Lady Henniker Apple from a seedling found in discarded cider must in the Henniker family home at Thornham. The apple was introduced in 1873 and won a RHS first class certificate in 1875. The Lady Henniker Apple is a dual purpose apple (eating and cooking) and is the only dual purpose apple in Suffolk. It makes a strongly flavoured puree which needs little sugar.

The apple propagation project with the Prince’s Trust would take 6 young people at risk of exclusion from local schools, chosen by the Prince’s Trust for one day a week for six months – January to July.

They would learn how to propagate the Lady Henniker Apple which is now in decline and only available in one nursery in Suffolk at the moment.

The group would develop their skills by learning how to propagate apples (grafting and budding) and how to set up a small business which would involve learning how to write a business plan, how to market the product and include work on costing etc. They would research the history of the apples to help with their marketing and would make grafting and budding worksheets to be available for others working in the garden teaching them to graft and bud themselves. These sheets would be in different formats, including pictorial, to encompass the various needs those with different disabilities. Mentors from the Prince’s Trust would help with teaching the business side.

As well as the practical business and horticultural skills the group would benefit in many ways. There would be the basic work ethic, good time keeping and the benefits of working as part of a team. Our experience shows that young people who find mainstream school difficult, grow in confidence with us as skills they did not know they had are developed. As the skill level improves and they find they enjoy the peaceful but hard working environment, they begin to flourish and look forward to their garden work.

The students would be mentored by three of our present Thornham clients, trained in grafting and budding and also with extensive horticultural skills and experience. They themselves came originally to the garden with various issues and have benefited from their work with us. The group would be overseen by Karen Miller who manages the whole project.