"I’ve enjoyed biking and gardening. The bike rides are my favourite."
Matt's Story
Matt came to Props straight from school, 12 years ago. When he started, Matt was shy with people he didn’t know but was always eager to get stuck into jobs.
Matt always particularly enjoyed physical and hands-on work so was naturally drawn to our Horticulture Training Support Service and bike maintenance programme.
Horticulture
Despite having no prior experience in gardening work, Matt has shown dedication and commitment to learning and improving his skills.
One of Matt’s regular commitments became maintaining the market garden at the Beaufort Arms pub. He has visited every week to tend to the garden and provide them with fresh produce for their kitchen. His hard work and dedication have earned him a reputation for being reliable and trustworthy.
Every week in the summer Matt walks straight out to our polytunnel and waters the plants, taking initiative and ownership of the plot.
Matt has also become a core part of the team working on our grounds maintenance contract at Barton Hill and providing support at our accessible allotment.
Recently, Matt took on the task of transforming the area next to our accessible polytunnel at Props, a large project which required a lot of planning and skill. He put in new wood-chip paths to improve access and helped to measure and mark out the fences. He also worked hard to weed and rake the soil in preparation for planting new crops in the spring.
Cycling
When Matt joined the cycling group, he was quite shy. But after training for the Bristol to Bordeaux cycle ride and joining our flagship event, cycling 500 miles over 4 days – Matt was hooked. He has now cycled an incredible 10 B2B rides, his confidence has flourished and he now takes responsibility for supporting other Trainees on weekly guided rides.
Matt is now more confident with people he knows and acts as a mentor for the group, gathers everyone together and supports them.
