Blooming lovely Blossom for Everyone project!
We waited for a long time this year but spring has officially sprung and to mark the occasion, students in Plymouth have created a vibrant, exciting marketing campaign to launch all things springtime and blossom.
Plymouth City Council’s Green Communities team partnered up with the English as a Second Language students at City College Plymouth to explore new, creative ways of celebrating nature and the wonderful blossom blooming around Plymouth.
The students’ task was to treat nature like a marketing ‘client’ and create a ‘Blossom for Everyone’ campaign. The aim of this campaign was to launch spring and celebrate the hope and new life that it symbolises. To help them on their way, our Green Communities team linked them up with local creative organisations, Just Enough Brave and Fotonow, to run 5 workshops with the students.
These workshops covered a range of skills, from photography and design, to marketing and branding. During these workshops, students were practicing design skills, exploring new nature places on their doorstep, building computer confidence, and enhancing their English. They were also sharing experiences of spring from their home countries and in their native languages.
The result of all their hard work is a series of eye-catching posters, completely made by them from beginning to end- from the beautiful photography for the backgrounds, to the snappy straplines to grab the attention of passers by.
One group chose ‘New beginnings and fresh life!’, as the wording they wanted to include and, with all the posters, the students were encouraged to include a translation of their strapline in their first languages.
As a result, the posters feature a beautiful mix of Kurdish, Arabic, Ukranian, Bengali, and Persian- a celebration of the fact that blossom really is for everyone!
One of the City College Plymouth students, Fayez, said: “The Blossom Project was a really fun and enjoyable experience.
“We went outside, explored nature, and took lots of pictures of the beautiful blossoms around us. It was exciting to see the different colours and shapes of the flowers. We also had fun spending time together, learning, and enjoying the fresh air.
“This project helped us appreciate nature more and made learning feel more interesting and creative. Overall, it was a great experience and I really enjoyed being part of it.’
Councillor Tom Briars-Delve, Cabinet Member for the Environment and Climate Change, added: “What a fantastic project with wonderful results for all of the young people involved.
“I’d like to thank the wonderful group of ESOL students at City College for all their hard work and enthusiasm, and to say a huge well done for such a wonderful project.
“Blooming brilliant!”
The final posters will be shared on social media and will be exhibited around Plymouth through Green Communities events- keep an eye on the Green Communities website for exhibition dates (www.greenmindsplymouth.com).
The premiere of the exhibition took place with the students in the orchard at the National Trust’s Saltram property. The young people were so excited to see their work come to life, with many of them saying how proud they felt to see their pieces on display.
This project has been funded by the National Trust's Festival of Blossom thanks to the players of the People's Postcode Lottery.
This project is part of Plymouth’s Plan for Nature and People, connecting people with nature.