Two of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum’s apprentices, Jack Willerton and Lucy Hoggett, have returned from an 11-day visit to Germany as part of an exchange programme with Bonn Botanic Garden and Arboretum Park Härle.
The exchange programme has been established between the respective Curators of Oxford and Bonn, Mark Brent and Markus Radscheit, and earlier this year saw Bonn apprentice Max spend time at the Garden during Oxford Botanic Garden’s 400th anniversary celebrations.
While in Germany, Jack and Lucy were able to gain experience in how Bonn manage their plant collections, as well as taking in visits to Botanic Gardens in Dortmund, Cologne and Munster.
Apprentice Lucy Hoggett said: “Bonn was a really incredible experience with so much to look at and so much to learn, their collection is highly impressive, and I think we both hope to go back and look at more! I'm so grateful for the experience and am very thankful to everyone who made it happen, it truly was an unforgettable trip.”
Oxford Botanic Garden Curator Mark Brent said: “The future of our industry is based on investing in young people, which is what we aim to do in partnership with Bonn through this apprentice exchange programme. I would like to thank all the team at Bonn for their generous hospitality and time while hosting our apprentices, and I look forward to building upon this partnership further in the future.”
