May has proved to be a rewarding month for some of the fresh produce and horticulture industry’s brightest young prospects. At the beginning of the month it was a case of third time lucky for Patrick Wiltshire as he was crowned Young Horticulturist of the Year after securing victory in this year’s final - held at Cornwall’s Eden Project on May 3rd. Patrick is studying Practical Horticulture at Wisley and is looking forward to using his £2,000 travel bursary to good effect as he hopes to visit and work in some of the worlds leading botanical gardens – first stop the USA! Once again MorePeople were delighted to provide sponsorship and support for the regional heats and semi-finals of the competition and are committed to helping the organisers widen the profile of the event  - especially amongst the commercial sector of the industry.

Less than a week later saw Tom Richardson of Waitrose win the MorePeople Young Person of the Year award at this year’s re:fresh awards. Tom is a citrus and top fruit buyer at Waitrose and joined the company six years ago after having spent a couple of years working in the supply chain. A farmers son, and graduate of Harper Adams University College, Tom impressed the judges with his passion for the sector and his ability to translate this into positive outcomes for both Waitrose and its suppliers. A close second to Tom was Giorgio Lercara, of ScSmb Produce who similarly impressed the panel with the progress he has made in his career over the last 8 years. Giorgio arrived in the UK with little knowledge of English but with his positive attitude, a desire to learn and the support of his managers he is now the company’s fire officer and a valued member of the ScSmb team.

Commenting on MorePeople’s involvement with these awards Guy Moreton says, “We are delighted to be involved in promoting awareness of the horticultural sector and recognising the achievements of these talented young individuals through our sponsorship of these awards. It’s also important to us that we are involved in promoting all aspects of the fresh produce and horticulture sectors. Horticulture, in particular, is a word that covers a broad spectrum of activities and means many things to different people. However, there is a common factor that links them all and that is the passion and the enthusiasm of the people involved. The young people who won through to the final of these awards have also shown that they too have that passion as well as the determination and ability to make that passion work for them in building a successful career in the industry. Congratulations should also go to the businesses that have supported them in their career to date by having the foresight to invest in and develop the talent they have within.”