A Lake District hotel resort has tapped into the expertise of college students to help with the final stages of new landscaping work following its extension and refurbishment.
Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa has been working with green-fingered students from Myerscough College, putting them in charge of managing content for the seasonal planting of tubs and baskets in the grounds of the venue.
The group of students delivered planters they put together at the college as part of their courses, which included Hellebores (winter roses), Erica (heathers), Viola, Dianthus (Sweet William), and a range of ivy plants to ensure that the hotel grounds will be awash with colour next spring.
Paul Bell from English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues, the maintenance manager at Low Wood Bay explains: “Myerscough College has a really strong reputation for its horticulture courses and we wanted to give some of their students the opportunity to apply their practical skills to a live commercial project.
“Horticulture is a rapidly growing business due to strong public interest in gardening, plants, sustainability and food security. And we want the grounds and landscaping around the hotel to match the quality of the venue’s new facilities. We are very grateful to Myerscough College for participating in the project and our thanks are due to the students who got involved.”
Lecturer in Horticulture at Myerscough College Kate Lynch adds: “Well done to our horticulture students, who have worked with our staff to create these winter containers for English Lakes Hotels. They have produced beautiful work.
“The students helped to plant up the troughs and hanging baskets as part of a horticulture courses module, in which they have to learn about seasonal plants appropriate for outdoor planters, and winter is the theme for this one. We have been invited back to plant up the summer baskets and troughs.
“The winter containers have been supplied by our Plant World garden centre, and are part of a new contract which also includes The Wild Boar Inn near Windermere and Waterhead Hotel at Ambleside.”
Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa has been undergoing a £16 million redevelopment to become the Lake District’s first resort on Lake Windermere. It includes a new restaurant, Blue Smoke on the Bay, and a range of new facilities and thermal journey spa experiences.
Among the range of sport and land-based programmes available at Myerscough College, further education students can undertake a variety of horticulture and landscape qualifications, from Level 1 practical skills, through to an RHS Certificate and a Level 3 Advanced Diploma.
For those seeking a degree course, Myerscough’s University Centre offers Level 4 Foundation Certificates through to Foundation Degrees and BSc (Hons) in Horticultural Science and Management.
