Horti guys are
A community gardening project is not only helping to make East Kilbride blooming marvellous – but aims to get people back into work.
Hunter Community Gardening is a social enterprise offering gardening, ground maintenance, and landscaping services throughout the town as well as bespoke employment, training and development opportunities for young or longterm unemployed people.
It provides services at a greatly reduced cost for those who cannot stump up full price or clients who pay what they can afford.
The scheme, which has only been up and running for a few weeks, is already proving popular.
It currently has three gardeners on board – two fully-qualified horticulturalists – and another who is working towards his HNC.
They also have a horticultural intern who is a volunteer.
Head gardener Craig Hamilton, 34, from East Kilbride, has developed a career out of a lifelong love of gardening and took the first steps after seeing the positive impact gardening had on his daughter, who is on the autistic spectrum.
He said: “I was a volunteer at Maxwellton Primary and I noticed my daughter, who is on the autistic spectrum, got a lot out of our garden.
“I spoke to the school and got them involved in gardening.”
Craig continued: “I then went on to college and studied horticulture.
“I was due to finish this year but when the opportunity came to head up this project I jumped at the chance and have deferred the last couple of months of my course.
“The business has really taken off.
“What we are trying to fundamentally do is help those who have enjoyed their garden, been keen gardeners and want to keep it but aren’t able to maintain it for whatever reason.
“We can also give people chances they might not have had and the opportunity to gain new skills, qualifications and certification, which can open doors for them in employment or further education.”
Duncan Laird, 54, from West Mains, was long-term unemployed for a number of years before moving on to college.
He said: “For the last three years I have been studying horticulture – two in East Kilbride and the last year in Glasgow.
“Just before I finished this project came up so I was in the right place at the right time.
“Before college I was longterm unemployed but I came to the job club run by Calderwood Baptist Church.
“Horticulture has always been an interest of mine in one way or another.
“It was the job club who persuaded me to speak to the college and I ended up chatting with the lecturer in horticulture and it went from there.
“This is an ideal opportunity for people to get practical experience and to put something back into the community,
“I also get a great deal from helping people in whatever way I can. We have been really busy and there certainly is a lot of demand in the town for us.”
Jason Lang, one of the directors of the social enterprise, said the board are keen to develop the educational and community aspects as the project develops.
“We are currently working with South Lanarkshire College developing the educational side of things and have a long-term link with them,” said Jason from St Leonards.
“The other aspect is to get people into horticulture, improving their physical health and mental wellbeing while providing a social benefit for the community.”
While a large percentage of the scheme’s clients can access services free of charge, paying clients are heavily subsidised.
This means older residents in particular, some of whom may have been diagnosed with dementia, can stay in their own homes longer – without having to worry about maintaining their gardens.
Jason is also excited about future plans to develop a community garden in East Kilbride on vacant land and talks are ongoing with South Lanarkshire Council.
“We will initially develop an educational garden in Hunter House along side South Lanarkshire College horticulture students,” he added.
“They will be planting a medicinal herb border with plants which would have been used by the Hunter brothers in the 17 and 1800s. “This will be an educational resource for the students which will then become part of our community garden.”
Jason added: “We are really excited about eventually creating this facility for the community.”