This - "Green apprentices wanted for £1m scheme" - looks promising, and the good news is that Greenwich is one of the 47 councils getting a share of £1m (that's about £21k each) to sign up apprentices to tend our parks and green spaces - announced by the perennial Margaret Beckett this week. It's not a large amount, but it's something.
But - without wanting to quibble too much with something positive - wouldn't it have been far more useful and imaginative to pay for, say, an army of grow-your-own trainers to go out and help householders to start growing their own food at home? Or to put a food-growing spin on the apprenticeships and give them the mission to find ways in which our public spaces can be partly turned over to local food production, with local people's involvement? This might provide even more employment than a few apprenticeships and bring in some money to help sustain the scheme in the longer-term.
Or follow the lead of Transition Town Totnes. As part of their aim to make Totnes the 'nut tree capital of Britain' they are training up tree guardians to tend their nut trees. I believe they are resident volunteers, but food security is important enough that we should spend money on employing people to do this kind of work.
It would be great if Greenwich could take a lead on this and insert a food-growing remit into the job description of the apprentices it takes on. And perhaps add an ambitious goal that would get local people excited and involved: 'The pear and plum tree borough'? A chestnut product-producing plant to make full use of the annual conker boon in Greenwich Park? Any other suggestions?
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