Paul Atkins, Leicestershire Live
Read the original article here: SMB College Group cultivates a greener future with tree-planting scheme - Leicestershire Live (leicestermercury.co.uk)
The college has pledged to plant a tree for every new student who enrols in the upcoming academic year!
A Leicestershire training college is cultivating a greener future for its students with a tree-planting scheme.
SMB College Group has already planted 300 trees in the last 12 months and has committed to planting a tree for every new student who enrols in the upcoming academic year.
The planting will take place at the specialist land-based Brooksby Campus as a part of its wider tree planting and sustainability initiatives.
James Fryer, Director of Farm & Grounds, explained: "Sustainability should be at the forefront of every business and SMB College Group is no different.
"Our vision is to meet the needs of the present without compromising the future. We aim to enable measurable improvements in sustainability by challenging current practices and changing our actions and behaviours.
"We hope that this focus on sustainability and regeneration will enable us to not only prepare our students for their future but also protect their future through sustainable practices."
Specialist campus
SMB College Group is a specialist LANDEX college – one of only 36 in the country - and recognised for providing high quality cost-effective land-based education, training and professional development.
Its Brooksby Campus boasts a working commercial arable and livestock farm with its own flock of sheep, a herd of cows and hundreds of acres of arable land.
Facilities also include modern glasshouses and formal gardens, purpose-built land-based workshops, and an Equestrian Yard equipped with a Rehabilitation Centre.
The campus sits in an impressive 850-acre estate alongside Brooksby Hall, a Grade II listed 16th-century manor house.
As such, it provides the perfect learning environment for Agriculture, Horticulture, Countryside & Environmental Management, Equine, Land-based Engineering, Animal Studies, Sport, Uniformed Services and more.
Sustainability projects
The tree-planting scheme is on top of a wide variety of sustainability projects taking shape thanks to the efforts of Countryside Management students alongside Animal Management and A-level Environmental Science students.
Activities carried out at Brooksby so far this year have included coppicing, creating shallow ponds, recreating oxbow lakes and restoring ponds.
Students have also been assisting with a comprehensive soil analysis on the campus estate, trialling tall grass grazing with cattle, and planting extra fruit trees, including apple, pear, plum, damson, cherry, and mulberry.
James explained: "The soil analysis is part of our regenerative agriculture project which aims to demonstrate, and continually innovate, good agricultural practice in a world faced with increasing challenges.
"So we've been looking at the health, characteristics and physical properties of the soil, including compaction and organic matter content.
"The tall grass grazing, or mob grazing, aims to boost soil organic carbon and cattle welfare as it's more similar to their natural environment and so encourages more natural behaviours.
"The graze is a diverse herbal ley – grass mix with a huge range of species – so really good for biodiversity and soil health.
"I have to say, it's looking great. We had good rain in the spring so the trees and grass are all growing well."
Plans for autumn
But the college certainly won't be resting on its laurels.
Plans for autumn include sowing a wildflower avenue, planting two extensive rows of elderberries, and cutting the hedgerows across campus less frequently.
For every new hedge laid, a tree will be planted every 50 metres. Indeed, the college was recently given some trees by Leicestershire County Council which have already been incorporated into this hedgerow network.
Over the next decade, the college's sustainable woodland management project will see mature trees thinned, harvested and replaced with a diverse mix of native trees.
There are also plans to increase the amount of natural flood management on site with the hope of kickstarting wider restoration along the whole of the River Wreake.
James concluded: "All of these sustainable activities are really embedded into our curriculum for the countryside, agriculture and environmental science students.
"It gives them fantastic real-life experience of managing our 850-acre countryside estate and learning from lecturers who are still actively contributing to the development of their industry.
"Students learn the practical skills they need for the industry by getting hands-on and putting the theory they learn in the classroom into practice on the Brooksby site – learning how all of the individual parts fit into the wider plan."
Achieve your full potential
Based in the heart of Leicestershire, SMB College Group also boasts two other campuses - each with its own unique sector specialisms.
Stephenson Campus is the college’s specialist Technical and Trade campus, situated in Coalville.
It offers modern working environments for Engineering, Construction, Electrical and Plumbing and Gas, as well as fantastic facilities for Business, and Hair and Beauty, including its very own on-site salon, which is open to the public for bookings during term-time.
Melton Campus is the specialist Performing Arts campus, situated in the heart of the bustling market town of Melton Mowbray.
This campus is home to community favourite, Melton Theatre, which operates as a fully commercial theatre and performance venue – providing unique industry insight for Performing Arts students pursuing qualifications in Acting, Dance and Musical Theatre with the college.
So whether you're just leaving school or returning to education after years of working, studying with SMB College Group could be the next important step in your journey.
Find out more?
SMB College Group boasts a variety of courses at both Post-16 and degree levels for those who are interested in forging successful careers in agriculture, sustainability, the environment, habitat management and more.
It offers subjects ranging from Agriculture to Countryside & Environmental Management to Horticulture.
The majority of its full-time study programme students study at level 3, which is equivalent to taking three A-levels.
The group recently added T-levels to its curriculum and plans to introduce land-based T-level programmes from September 2024.
There’s still time to secure your place at SMB College Group for September 2023! For further information and to apply visit www.smbcollegegroup.ac.uk/apply