Northampton trainee Stewart Boswell is about to hawk the bird boxes he’s built to raise some readies for Rathbone.

Along with 30 young people from our Notre Dame Mews base, the sparky would-be electrician has been turning his hand to creating feeders and hanging baskets. He’s even got his green finders dirty growing flowers, tomatoes and courgettes to sell on Northampton market (Saturday 14th July).

But entrepreneurial Stewart hasn’t stopped there. Because he’s also been sowing seeds with local businesses about Rathbone’s stall and got them to donate tombola prizes from clocks to a baby bouncer to give sales a boom.

Stewart Boswell

The stall which has been donated free by Northampton Borough Council will be situated in the market from 8am – 5pm and will be staffed by students such as Stewart. Rathbone hopes to raise £500 from the day which will be ploughed back into what they hope will become a budding business.

Trainees have spent six-seven weeks preparing their produce and while the project has helped them understand horticulture and be creative, the biggest boon has been a growth in the young people’s confidence. “It’s really helped me learn new stuff” said Stewart, “and helped me understand how you run a business.”

Before coming to Rathbone, the jury was out on whether Stewart would become a lawyer or an electrician! “I found doing A’ Levels at college too much” he admits, “and studying the Law would be just the same.” Stewart is about to begin a college course in electrics at Booth Lane College in September where he is determined to socket to them: “I’ve changed a few light bulbs in my time” he says, “and it’s a good, well paid trade.”