A West Berkshire college and its students have been supported to learn more about horticulture - while helping us to set up a produce-growing area.

Newbury College students have been working with us to help clear and develop land at our 50-acre site with the aim of using it to grow vegetables.  

Over the past few months, a group of students from Newbury College have paid regular visits to Prior’s Court and helped to clear a number of large planters with the hope that they will be used for growing produce in the future.  

This project has been important one as it allows Prior’s Court to teach its young people, all of whom have complex autism and the majority reside at the charity, vocational skills such as how to properly care for crops, how to water them, and how to harvest them. These are all skills they can take into later life.  

Meanwhile, Newbury College’s students have learned about planting, caring for vegetables through their life cycle, and what it takes to create a flourishing garden.  

Marisa Piper, Career Coach at Newbury College, said: “I am so grateful to Wendy Moffatt and the wider Prior’s Court team for giving our students this opportunity. Through this project the students have demonstrated hard work, perseverance, and learned to work as part of a team. Alongside the practical skills, I've seen a growth in their self-esteem and communication skills.” 

Wendy Moffat, Land-based Learning Specialist at Prior’s Court, said: “I would like to say how rewarding it has been working alongside the students from Newbury College.  

“The students worked incredibly hard, getting properly stuck into the project and even successfully removing two stubborn tree trunks from the area. It has been fantastic working with these students and it has been great to see their enthusiasm and resilience. It has been a great collaboration and I look forward to it continuing."

Find out more about what our young people learn at Prior's Court