Untold Hours: Delivering a Green Skills Day in Braintree
We’re back behind the scenes.
Last week I headed over to Braintree for a Green Skills Day with Braintree District Council, and funnily enough it actually landed on my birthday. Usually my birthdays are a little quieter. I’m often at home in the garden, planning projects, filming content or taking meetings. But this year I found myself delivering workshops to hundreds of children and honestly, it turned out to be one of the best ways I could have spent the day.
The event was hosted at Braintree Town Hall, which has to be one of the most impressive venues I’ve delivered a workshop in for quite a while. It’s an incredible building and the perfect setting for a day focused on green skills, sustainability and environmental careers for young people.
Across the day, 270 children attended, rotating around eight different activity stations. Each station was designed to introduce them to careers connected to nature, sustainability, environmental science and green industries.
Of course, I brought along my wildflower and pollinator workshop, turning one of the grand rooms into a space where children could learn about pollinators, biodiversity and how wildflowers support nature.
Children were able to create their own wildflower planting activity while learning about why bees, butterflies and other pollinators are so important for our environment. These kinds of hands-on experiences are one of the most powerful ways to help children understand how nature works and how they can play a role in protecting it.
One of the things I always find most interesting during these sessions is asking children aged 9, 10 and 11 what they think they want to do when they leave school.
It’s a really important age. They’re starting to think about the future and what their interests might lead to.
Part of my role as the Children’s Gardening Coach is to help introduce them to careers in horticulture, gardening, environmental education and the wider green sector. Many children simply don’t realise how many opportunities exist within this industry.
When I was their age, I actually wanted to become a designer. When I left school I didn’t end up following that path directly, but what’s funny is that through the horticulture industry I’ve been able to reconnect with that creative side in ways I never expected.
Today I design gardens, education projects, campaigns and creative experiences for children and families. Horticulture has allowed me to combine creativity, education, nature and storytelling, which is something I never imagined when I was younger.
That’s why these conversations with young people are so important. Careers in horticulture aren’t just about digging and planting, although getting your hands dirty is definitely one of the best parts. The industry also includes design, media, education, environmental science, conservation, events, marketing and community engagement.
There are so many different paths within the UK horticulture industry, and days like this help children see that.
The sessions themselves were fantastic.
At one point during the morning I was asked whether 30 children might be too many for a single workshop session. I had to smile because last year I delivered the same wildflower activity to 600 children all at once, so 30 felt very manageable.
Those morning sessions were actually some of my favourite parts of the day. They were busy, energetic and full of excitement.
The children asked brilliant questions and really got stuck into the activity. Watching them learn about wildflowers, pollinators and nature while creating something they could take home was exactly what these workshops are all about.
In the afternoon the pace slowed slightly, which allowed for more conversation and deeper discussion with the pupils. I always enjoy those moments where children start sharing their ideas about nature, the environment and the future.
Events like this Green Skills Day in Braintree are incredibly important.
They give young people the chance to explore environmental careers, sustainability and horticulture in a way that feels exciting and accessible.
The reality is that the green sector is growing rapidly, and we need the next generation to see the opportunities available within industries like horticulture, environmental science and conservation.
If we want more young people to care about nature, biodiversity and climate solutions, we need to start those conversations early.
Hands-on workshops like the ones delivered at Braintree Town Hall are a powerful way to do that.
Interestingly, this was actually one of those projects that I didn’t heavily promote across my social media channels.
But that’s exactly why I wanted to include it here as part of these Untold Hours blogs.
So much of the work I do happens behind the scenes in schools, community projects and local events, quietly inspiring children and young people to connect with gardening and nature.
These are the moments where the real impact happens.
If you’re an event organiser, local council, school or community group looking to run an event around green skills, gardening workshops, environmental education or sustainability, I’d love to hear from you.
Workshops like these can be delivered at:
Schools and education events
Green careers and sustainability days
Garden festivals and community events
Local council environmental programmes
Family events focused on nature and biodiversity
Through hands-on activities such as wildflower workshops, pollinator projects and children’s gardening sessions, we can inspire the next generation to explore careers in horticulture and the green sector.
If you’re interested in bringing something like this to your school, town or event, please do get in touch.
Let’s inspire the next generation of gardeners and green thinkers together.
