Once again MorePeople are helping promote the profile of UK horticulture as a great industry to build a career in by sponsoring two of the industry's premiere events aimed at boosting the image of the sector to its 'younger' members.
Next week thebi-annual Under 40's Fruit Grower Study Tour 2011, 'Changing Crops for a Changing Climate', heads off to the Loire Valley in France and MorePeople are delighted to 
be involved in sponsoring the event for the first time. This is a great opportunity for young people to travel with like minded individuals and visit growers in other countries to see how they operate and how they are developing and using new technologies to create sustainable, modern and forward thinking horticultural businesses. It's also a great networking opportunity for those making the effort to get involved. So here's hoping the guys and girls have a 'fruitful' time in France and congratulations to Ben Ashdown and the team for organising this year's event and getting together an impressive list of sponsoring organisations to support them. Further details of the tour are available at www.u40s.co.uk.
Also, for the 4th year running we are a key sponsor of the Institute of Horticulture's Young Horticulturalist of the Year competition. The competition is open to anyone aged under 30 
on 31st July 2011. With £10,000 worth of prizes up for grabs and a £2,000 travel bursary from the Percy Thrower Trust as first prize it's certainly a competition worth the attention of any aspiring young plantsman or woman. We've always been keen to expand the number of 'commercial' entrants attracted to the competition so are especially pleased that this year the Garden Centre Group have embraced YHOY and as well as encouraging entrants from their own ranks across the country they will also be staging one of the eight regional finals at their Bressingham Centre in early April. Some of the regional heats have already started to take place but it's not too late to enter and details of how, where and when can be obtained by contacting the IOH admin team at ioh@horticulture.org.uk.
And finally but not least we are looking forward to the Grower of the Year Awards tomorrow night, 17th February, at the Lancaster London Hotel. As sponsor of the Sales and Marketing Professional of the year award we'll be there, so if you happen to be up for an award or just along to see what the great and the good of the UK's growing and horticultural are up to please pop along and say hello to Guy and the rest of the team.
