Students Set to Open the Summer Season at Bishop’s Gardens

A group of lucky students from City College Norwich will be hosting this season’s first opening of the Bishop’s Gardens on 9th May. Guests will be able to wander through 4 acres of beautiful gardens, home to some rare and unusual plants, and enjoy a traditional summer fete organised and run by college students with learning difficulties and / or disabilities.

Students studying horticulture will be selling plants they have grown and cared for in the College’s greenhouse alongside plants from the Bishop’s Garden itself. Hospitality students will be making traditional cream teas and a range of handmade crafts, soaps and old fashioned sweets will be on sale. Local folk band The Backroom Harmonies Band will be providing the entertainment and former Norwich MP Ian Gibson will be hosting the day’s raffle which has been widely supported by local businesses. Gift vouchers and day passes to local attractions are amongst the prizes on offer and local restaurateurs and hoteliers are donating some lavish cakes. Guests can also enjoy a range of traditional games including hook the duck, splat the rat and lawn bowls.

The gardens are only open for public events 8 times this summer so it’s a real honour for this group of students to be chosen to host an event and a great chance for students to put into practice the employability skills they learn whilst at College in a real life situation.

The students are all from the College’s School of Foundation Studies and have a range of learning difficulties and / or disabilities. All proceeds from the day will be used to support a programme of activities and trips away which many of these students would not be able to enjoy without extra help and assistance. Last year students enjoyed a camping trip to Hautbois Hall which included zip lining, abseiling and other outdoor pursuits.

Richard Turner, Programme Manager, City College Norwich said: “We are really pleased and proud to be chosen to host the first event at the Bishop’s Garden this summer. We organise a range of social activities and trips for our students throughout the year which really help them to become independent. They are experiences which other further education students might take for granted but without the extra support we receive from events such as this we might not be able to offer. It’s going to be a really busy day; students have been heavily involved in preparation and planning for the event and will take the skills they have learnt from this into their adult life and future employment.”

Rt Revd Graham James, Bishop of Norwich said: “I am delighted that City College Norwich’s School of Foundation Studies are using the Bishop’s Garden this year. It is good to welcome a new group to the delights of the garden and I know that they have been working immensely hard in preparation for the day. I wish them fine weather and every success in their efforts.”

The gardens will be open from 1pm till 5pm Sunday 9th May and tickets are £3.00. Tickets will be available on the day from the Bishop’s Gardens, Bishopgate, Norwich, NR3 1SB or can be reserved by contacting Sonia Freezer on sfreezer@ccn.ac.uk or by calling 01603 773294.