Learning is a 24-hour job


Rainy Day Trust’s CEO Bryan Clover talks about the charity’s expanding programme for apprenticeships and calls on the Garden Centre Industry for support for his latest fundraiser


he Rainy Day Trust has been helping apprentices for about two years now and until recently, it provided badly needed help to about 10-12 young people each month, giving them the boost that they needed to get a qualification for life.


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But now, following a trial partnership with Burton and South Gloucestershire College, that figure has mushroomed to nearly 50 a month!


The Trust has set up a partnership with Hikoki Power Tools UK to offer these youngsters power tools that they couldn’t otherwise afford. When you earn something like £235 a week, how on earth can you afford an expensive power tool costing over £400? Since the Charity’s programme started, pass rates have shot up and apart from anything else, it demonstrates to the apprentices that someone out there believes in them. To raise awareness of the issue and point out to people that learning is a 24-hour job, Rainy Day Trust CEO Bryan Clover is going to hike 24 hours non-stop on 21 June aiming to cover 100km. “If we can give apprentices a great start in life, then we are doing our job,” said Bryan. “For every youngster that we help now, that’s one fewer coming to us for assistance later on in life.” Bryan has done long distance hikes before having walked 175 miles of the South West Coast Path last October in just 7 days. “While I’ve done 26 miles a day for a week,” added Bryan, “hiking 60-plus miles in one go is a different ball game. I’m just hoping that my knees hold out!” Bryan has already secured a lead sponsor with Lawsons Builders Merchant and is now looking for support from the garden centre industry as the Charity aims to broaden its work with apprentices.


To sponsor Bryan, go to his Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rainyday100


u0203 192 0486 uinfo@rainydaytrust.org.uk uwww.rainydaytrust.org.uk GCU June 2019 www.gardencentreupdate.com | 23


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