In this months ‘Meet the Team’ feature we are happy to introduce you to Lewis, our young apprentice who has been a member of our team for nearly two years. Originally starting as a trainee yard operative, Lewis quickly discovered his passion for the turf growing side of our business. This led him to change his career, and he is now an enthusiastic turf apprentice, working towards his SVQ 2 in Horticulture.

Lewis chose this path after leaving school because he wanted to pursue something that interested him, and the training offered at Turfscape would provide useful skills to have under his belt. Outside of work, Lewis enjoys unwinding by playing Xbox, spending time with friends and family, and playing football - a sport he’s passionate about, although unfortunately he had to step back from playing with an amateur team after a collar bone injury.

During his apprenticeship, Lewis has found the most surprising aspect of his role to be the manual harvesting process. Initially, he assumed it was all automated. It wasn't long before he realised the various tasks and significant efforts behind the scenes associated in the preparation and maintenance of the turf fields prior to harvest.

Lewis mentioned that in five years he hopes to be fully qualified and perhaps even mentoring a new apprentice, guiding them along the same path. By the end of his apprenticeship, he aims to master all tasks, from cultivating and fertilising, to operating machinery independently. His goal is to gain the official qualifications necessary for a successful career in turf management and to acquire the knowledge to confidently tackle any task.

For those considering an apprenticeship, Lewis offered the following advice, ‘As much as you would like to jump straight in, you can’t. Follow the process of learning step by step. The college side can be quite intense as a lot of information is condensed into one day per week but stick in, as it’ll be worth it.’

Anything else we should know about Lewis? He dreams of visiting Australia, with the possibility of moving there one day. Finally, when asked what he would choose if he could have any superpower, he chose super strength - a handy ability for someone working in the fields!

Thank you very much for your efforts to date, Lewis. We look forward to seeing you develop your role with us and can’t wait to celebrate your success.