Askham Bryan appoints new head of horticulture

A tree-climbing teacher who has represented the UK at the heights of international competition has been appointed to lead students' horticultural education at a Yorkshire college.
Jessica Herbert is the new head of horticulture at Askham Bryan College near York.Jessica Herbert is the new head of horticulture at Askham Bryan College near York.
Jessica Herbert is the new head of horticulture at Askham Bryan College near York.

Jessica Herbert joins Askham Bryan College near York as its head of horticulture after nine years at Northamptonshire’s Moulton College where she was a programme co-ordinator.

Mrs Herbert initially retrained as a mature student at Moulton, passing a National Diploma in Horticulture with Arboriculture with a Distinction. She then worked as an arboriculturist before returning to the college to teach.

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Outside the classroom, she has competed for the UK in the World and European Tree Climbing Championships.

On her switch to Askham Bryan, Mrs Herbert said: “I want our students to have the absolutely best horticultural training there is.

“We will focus not only on the quality of the courses but also on making the most of the College’s resources, such as the arboretum, woodlands, hard landscaping area, a three-hole golf course where students can learn about turf management, an acre of glasshouses used for growing plants for sale and an orchard.”

As well as developing horticulture education, Mrs Herbert will work to improve the College’s environmental credentials, such as finding ways to increase how much of its green waste is used for compost.