Plants are like pets...

Quarton Preston, volunteer, Down To Earth (PATH project). Part of Bradford Alliance on Community Care

I am overseeing the growing of hundreds of plants – they are like my pets or something! I also helped to put up the poly tunnel which is where all the Chelsea plants are being kept until the weather gets a bit warmer.

One moment that really stands out for me was when we finally finished the hostel mosaic at New Cross St. We went outside in the sunshine and it took 5 people to hold it – it’s that big! I thought ‘Wow we did this!’ And it’s going to be part of Chelsea, seen by thousands. That was a special moment.

I am on a Future Jobs Fund trainee placement which was created because of PATH getting involved in Chelsea. I got this job partly because of Chelsea. So quite a bit of my time is spent taking care of the Chelsea plants, as well as other project work.  But the job ends after 6 months so I don’t know what the future holds.

In the future I'd like to find some training in horticulture and to use this 6 months job to try and find more work afterwards. I am now on training in health promotion in communities and in computers I am doing an EDCL. As well as doing paid work experience in gardening, I’m also learning about cooking by working on a cook and eat projects so things are going well for me.