Pershore College students tour Wyevale Nurseries  

TWENTY students from Pershore College in Worcestershire were given a tour last week (May 15, 2015) of one of the UK’s leading nurseries.

The Level 2 and Level 3 horticulture students visited Wyevale Nurseries based in Hereford to see what goes on behind the scenes.

Adam Dunnett, Sales and Marketing Director at Wyevale Nurseries, explained: “We were delighted to welcome the students to our nursery. We feel it is very important to support students who have chosen to study horticulture and to give them more of an insight in to what we do at the nursery.

“When the students arrived I gave a brief talk and we then hosted a guided tour of the facilities on the container production nursery site followed by lunch. The day finished with a tour of the retail despatch facility and closed with a talk from our Director, Steve Ashworth.

“During the day we were happy to answer any questions and were pleased to see such enthusiasm from the students.”

Wyevale Nurseries has a significant product range and is regularly introducing new plants. It offers a large variety of trees, shrubs, hedging, herbaceous and specimen plants to garden centres, landscape contractors, local authorities, foresters and landowners.

Grace Garland, Personal Learning Adviser at Pershore College, said: “All the students had a fantastic time at their tour of Wyevale Nurseries. They really enjoyed visiting all the different departments so they could see first-hand the range of careers that horticulture can offer.

“We’d like to thank everyone at Wyevale Nurseries for giving the students such a great insight into their business.”

Wyevale Nurseries is one of the largest family-run wholesale nurseries in the UK. It was established in 1928 by Harry Williamson, a horticulturist and entrepreneur. It became the company it is today under the leadership of his son, Peter.

The Williamsons’ saw the opportunity to sell their product to an undeveloped retail market, creating one of the first garden centres, followed by a chain. In 1987, the retail side needed to expand and the 19 garden centres were sold as a PLC.

The family then turned its focus to Wyevale Nurseries Ltd. It continues to be a family-run business with ownership and joint chairmanship currently being held by the third generation, Heather and Simeon Williamson, with plans for the fourth generation to takeover in the future.

For further details about Wyevale Nurseries, which is based in Hereford, please call 01432 845 200 or visit www.wyevalenurseries.co.uk.