Seevic

Essential Skills students from SEEVIC College, Benfleet, have raised over £150 for charity by starting their own horticultural business at the College. The Nature Calls Team Enterprise business is made up of students with various learning difficulties as part of their work experience programme.

The students have their own garden area with greenhouses and a polytunnal where they grow all of their produce and sell it to friends, family and SEEVIC College staff. Lewis Guiver, 18, from Wickford said: “We grow lots of things in our garden including potatoes, runner beans, beetroot, strawberries, tomatoes and bedding plants. We all really enjoy the gardening because it gets us out in the fresh air. I’m looking forward to trying the things we have grown especially the potatoes.”

Parents of the students who are involved in the scheme buy shares in the company, which allows the students to see their money grow. The money they make goes towards buying new produce for the garden and any excess is donated to charity. 

Essential Skills tutor Helena Scogings said: “The Team Enterprise Scheme allows students to run their own business, make decisions, work as a team and understand basic Business terms. They also get to meet others and have the experience of handling money and writing cheques. Most importantly the students love what they do, they have great fun in the garden and feel a great sense of achievement when they get to eat what they have grown.”

The students have chosen to donate the money to Little Havens Children’s Hospice and the Mushroom Theatre Company who teach students with disabilities.