The David Colegrave Foundation are delighted to announce this years scholarship awards have been made, totalling over £25,000 worth of support for 11 students. The various awards help fund a wide range of students from 9 different colleges and universities throughout the UK.

The first to be announced are the winners of the new scholarship sponsored by the Channel Islands based, Blue Diamond garden and living centres group which attracted a large number of applications.

Speaking about this scholarship, chairman of The David Colegrave Foundation, Jeff Colegrave, commented: ‘It is wonderful to have support for the Foundation from a major company within the horticultural industry. This financial commitment has enabled us to help even more students than we have ever been able to previously. 7 students have been awarded bursaries under this scheme and a total of £10,500 was shared amongst these students to help support them in their studies. Horticultural students are the future of our industry and it is so important that we do what we can to encourage them as they make their way into the industry."

All the students supported by the Blue Diamond Scholarships demonstrated their passion for horticulture and their commitment to building a career within the industry. Whether it is in the field of research, propagation, growing, design or plant retailing, Blue Diamond’s support for students through The David Colegrave Foundation, is helping to grow the next generation of horticulturalists.

Blue Diamond's MD Alan Roper said: "At Blue Diamond we are in the lucky position where we can help students grow their own career, and so it gives me great pride to give this opportunity to these students and share the passion we have for plants."

Winners of the 2022 Blue Diamond Scholarships included:

• Anna Ciborowska and Edward Charlton both studying at Edinburgh Royal Botanic Gardens;
• Katie Pardoe, studying at The Eden Project;
• Jessica Mears, studying at Sparsholt College:
• Victoria Adams, studying at Writtle University College;
• Thomas McDonald, studying at Pershore College;
• Ben Sayers, studying at Greenmount College.        

All the students were absolutely delighted with their awards with the money being used to fund essential equipment like laptops, to pay course fees or to travel to visit nurseries in the UK or abroad. One student commented: "I am overjoyed and grateful to have been awarded a Blue Diamond Scholarship. It will reduce financial stress and allow me to focus on my studies. Thank you!"

 Another said: "Receiving the Blue Diamond Scholarship from the David Colegrave Foundation has given me such confidence and has opened up the possibility to pursue additional training that I know will help me in my future career."

The full list of the Blue Diamond Scholarship winners are:

Anna Ciborowska: currently studying for an HND in Horticulture with Plantsmanship at The Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh in conjunction with SRUC.

Anna has always loved plants but it wasn’t until recently that she was able to follow her passion and retrain as a horticulturist.  

Of her horticultural studies, Anna said: "I knew I had made the right decision from the very first day and the two years since have been full of fascinating plant facts, amazing people and days outdoors getting my hands dirty. After my studies I hope to work at a botanic or heritage garden - but who knows where the future will take me! As long as there are plants in it, I’ll be happy."

Katie Pardoe: currently studying for an HND and BSc Garden Landscape design qualifications at the Eden Project.

With professional aims to educate and reframe the perception of beauty in gardens through ecological designs, Katie seeks to bring the biophilic benefits of nature into everyday spaces with sustainability, ecology and evolution in mind.

Of the award, Katie said "I am delighted to have been awarded a scholarship by the David Colegrave Foundation, and I greatly appreciate the opportunities this will provide - both during my studies and in the future."

Jessica Mears: currently studying for a Level 3 Advanced Extended Technical Diploma in Horticulture at Sparsholt College.

"Receiving the Blue Diamond Scholarship from the David Colegrave Foundation has given me such confidence and had opened up the possibility to pursue additional training that I know will help me in my future career," says Jessica.

"I hope to work in a plant nursery after I finish at college. Seeing plants grow is possibly one of the most joyful things I can think of. Through college we have visited so many nurseries and I have loved all of them. I am particularly interested in propagation and potentially plant breeding," she added.

Victoria Adams: Currently studying for a BSc in Horticulture at Writtle University.

Having worked in various horticultural placements including Allensmore Nurseries and Monkton Elm Garden Centre, Victoria is now studying at Writtle. She has developed a particular interest in propagation and has identified that there is a shortage of skilled workforce within the sector. She hopes that the award of this bursary will enable her to visit relevant nurseries in the UK and possibly abroad to extend her knowledge in this field. 

Thomas McDonald: Currently doing an apprenticeship at Pershore College training as a crop technician.

After graduating from the University of Reading in 2019 with a degree in International studies, Thomas realised his real passion was for horticulture. Having worked through the summer breaks with New Leaf Plants and he was fortunate to able to obtain employment with them after he graduated. Combining this work with a two year apprenticeship at Pershore Horticultural College he is now training to be a crop technician. He is delighted to have been awarded a scholarship from David Colegrave Foundation which will enable him purchase a new laptop. "My existing machine has seen me right through GCSE  and A levels at school and my University degree, but is no longer fit for purpose. Having the money to buy a new laptop will really help me with my studies and make such a difference to me."

Ben Sayers: currently studying for a foundation degree in Horticulture at Cafre Greenmount College in Northern Ireland.

Having had an interest in growing form an early age, Ben has turned his passion into his career and is already running his own small commercial nursery whilst studying for a foundation degree in Horticulture. "Winning this award will help to ease the financial burden of paying for my degree," said Ben. "I am completely committed to developing a career in horticulture and am so grateful that this scholarship will help to support me in pursuing my ambitions."

Edward Charlton: currently studying for an HND in Horticulture with Plantsmanship at The Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh.

Currently in his last year of a Horticulture and Plantsmanship degree at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow, Edward has been able to pursue his interest in the cultivation of tropical and arid plants. His ultimate aim is to aid in the conservation of endangered plants through the development of knowledge of propagation techniques, such as tissue culture and seed germination.

"The funding received from the David Colegrave Foundation will help with living costs during my last year of degree and also provide me with funds to continue optimising my tissue culture technique with various plant species," said Edward. "Thank you so much for supporting me in my horticultural career, I feel honoured to receive support from the David Colegrave Foundation."

Further information about the Foundation, scholarships or scholarship winners can be found by visiting: www.davidcolegravefoundation.org

Or contact: Nicci Gow, Foundation Administrator, The David Colegrave Foundation.         

Email: info@davidcolegravefoundation.org.uk Telephone 0781 654 3835