Bridging the Skills Gap

Available for over a year

Jane Scotter produces fruit, veg and flowers on around 12 acres in Herefordshire, and has made a business supplying her specialist products to a London restaurant. Over the years, she has found it almost impossible to find people with the skills required to work on her farm: how to propagate plants, how to drive a tractor, how to care for fruit trees. To try and fill the skills gap she takes on volunteers who have to work hard in return for a hut in one of the fields, fresh produce from the farm, and the chance to learn from Jane. Many of these volunteers go on to be members of paid staff. Presented by Anna Jones Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons