FSC Preston Montford is an Eco-Centre again

 Preston Montford has become the first English FSC Centre to be re-awarded Eco-Centre status. The Eco-Centre Committee engaged staff from all departments and was ably lead by Tutor Angela Munn considering how all nine areas of Eco-Centre activity could be developed at PM. 

When the award was announced the assessment team from Keep Britain Tidy team wrote “You definitely deserve the award and the actions sit naturally with the ethos of the Centre”. Adrian Pickles the Head of Centre said that he was “particularly pleased that all sections of the Centre had been able to make good contributions to the award process” The photograph shows the Eco-Centre Committee proudly admiring the new Eco-Centre plaque by the Nectar Garden.

 

One product of the eco-centre process is a revised Eco-Code for the Centre.  This is now a more inspirational and aspirational code presented to visitors on arrival and avoids being a guilty list of things to do and not do.

FSC Preston Montford Public Relations Team

PM Eco-Centre Committee showing off their shiny new plaque

 

Incredible Edible volunteers growing at FSC Preston Montford

Incredible Edible volunteers growing at FSC Preston Montford 

Two of FSC Preston Montford’s targets for the year were to find ways to work with volunteers and to grow some food to eat in the Centre kitchen.

The Centre has been successful in meeting both of these targets and volunteer gardener Steve Dawson is shown in front of his amazing tomatoes in the vegetable patch he created outside Caradoc Classroom. 

Figure 1 Adrian Pickles, Tina Dawson and Steve Dawson in front of Steve’s incredible garden

After many years as our Senior Kitchen Assistant Tina Dawson has left Preston Montford and moved to work at FSC Dale Fort. This is very good for Dale Fort and less good for PM, as both of them will be greatly missed. Thank you and best wishes to them for the future. 

More recently it has emerged that long-hoped for building work to upgrade facilities will eventually happen over the coming few months. This will disturb the grounds, so, as well as needing to find a new volunteer gardener and Senior Catering Assistant, Preston Montford also needs to find a new vegetable patch.

Figure 2 The staff picnic bench and kitchen herb garden

Head of Centre-Adrian Pickles- remains optimistic about finding both people and place to continue the Incredible Edible work in 2014 . He said “ the good news from this year is that we know that there is plenty of fertile ground and we have a system for volunteer appointments”.  

Preston Montford is looking for volunteers to help with regular gardening or task specific working more details are available from the Centre- Adrian.pm@field-studies-council.org  and on the Centre Blogpage http://prestonmontfordfieldcentre.blogspot.co.uk . News about Kitchen jobs and volunteer opportunities will also be put out on the Appointments section of the FSC website http://www.field-studies-council.org/vacancies.aspx

FSC Preston Montford Public Relations Team