North Thames AGM Event

Join the North Thames region for their first event of 2025. This year’s AGM will again be hosted at Writtle University College where we have a great relationship with them and this also gives their students to have the opportunity to learn more about BALI and hear the industry talks.

The committee have some fantastic ideas for the year ahead and already have a date in the diary for their second event. This will be a visit to the Natural History Museum, taking place on 20th May.

Schedule on the day

1:30pm Arrival

1:45pm AGM, free for those only wanting to attend the AGM

2:15pm HM Prison Service, Careers Talk Alison Renville

2:45pm Ascend Initiative Talk, Matt O’Connor (John O’Conner Grounds Maintenance)

3:15pm Break, refreshments

3:45pm Future Gardeners Talk, The Future of Horticulture - Louisa Mansfield, BOST (Bankside Open Spaces Trust

4:30pm Finish

Alison Renville, HM Prison & Probation Service

Recruiting from prisons might not be your first point of call, yet there is a huge talent pool of individuals with a variety of skills in our prisons that can be a great asset to your business. There are a lot of business benefits as to why this is a good avenue to explore. For example, prison leavers go the extra mile, they’re loyal and hardworking plus, we go to great lengths to sift through applications and find you the right candidates; not just anyone. And it costs you nothing to recruit this way!  

It’s often fed back from companies they work with, that such individuals are amongst their best employees, owing solely to them being so grateful that someone believes in them and has offered them an opportunity, which often this isn’t something they’ve often had. Furthermore, by having such individuals in secure sustainable employment following their release, their chances of re-offending greatly diminish – something that’s important for us all.  

There is so much support in prisons for individuals to be job-ready and find work, including obtaining Right to Work documents (birth certificate), photo ID, writing a CV and disclosing their offence (to offer you full transparency), as well as support opening a bank account and undertaking mock interviews. But more than that, the prison team sift through candidates to ensure they have the right attitude and motivation to work. We do this by checking their behaviour and engagement in the regime – are they supportive to other prisons, respectful to staff? Only then, and with the support of their Probation Officer, would you be sent an application to consider and interview.

The support doesn’t stop there! As long as you have a prison leaver working with you, you get full support from the service – in any way that’s required - as ultimately, we want the same as you; to keep them working with you, and not reoffending.

Louisa Mansfield, BOST

Bankside Open Spaces Trust - growing communities together

Bankside Open Spaces Trust is an environmental and volunteering charity working to provide outstanding green spaces and outdoor activities that enhance the health and wellbeing of urban communities. With volunteers from the community we care for open spaces and share our love of gardening and the environment. We support local people gardening on their estates through Green Hub, run Future Gardeners horticultural training and host a range of youth and sports activities throughout the year. 

Future Gardeners

Launched in 2016, Future Gardeners is an award-winning innovative training and work experience scheme, giving participants the core skills to gain entry level jobs in the horticulture industry without having any previous experience or specialist education.  Open to all who want to try out a career in gardening, Future Gardeners is an educational scheme that doesn’t require entrants to have minimum educational qualifications.

As well as pre-apprenticeship training and a City & Guilds qualification, the budding horticulturists will have their career options enhanced by being introduced to key employers in the sector, including some at London’s finest parks and gardens.

Louisa Mansfield has been responsible for the delivery of the Future Gardeners Programme at BOST since 2016 overseeing more than 300 students through the lifetime of the course to date.  Louisa believes working in the horticultural industry is a great career for those that many have experienced challenges in their lives.  The programme has won two industry recognised awards from The Royal Parks Guild and the Chartered Institute of Horticulture.   Louisa has previously worked with a variety of charities in the horticultural sector helping people into the industry.  Prior to this Louisa was working in online advertising for top tier internet corporates such as Yahoo!.  Louisa has a degree in Environmental Economics and Environmental Management from the University of York. Louisa currently lives in London and has lived abroad in New York, Australia and Barcelona.  In her spare time she has an interest in trees, especially street trees and like trips to the seaside.

Ascend Initiative

Ascend Initiative was created by Matt O'Conner, MD of John O'Conner (Grounds Maintenance) Ltd. This initiative is primarily about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. They are developing these key points through different channels currently focusing on social mobility through careers advice, careers fairs, employee development, apprenticeships, job placements. Contacting the prison service to discuss in what ways they are able to collaborate on this and further their inclusion within the business. Ascend is an avenue to expand on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within the business in as many different and new channels as they are able.