SECOND DIPLOMA COURSE LAUNCHED TO MEET DEMAND

Demand has been exceptional this year for places on our intensive, one year, part time Diploma Course in Garden Design, with the majority of places for the Tuesday course being reserved several months earlier than usual. The good news is that, to meet with this unprecedented demand, the college's directors have decided to run a second Diploma Course in 2007/8 (commencing September). The second course is identical in every respect to the first, the only difference being that it runs on Wednesdays (one day per week) rather than Tuesdays. A full timetable can be found here.

If you are still keen to start your professional garden design training this year, please contact Cheryl Williams - on 01380 728788 - for the latest enrolment information.

Pictured here, November 18th 2006....... GDS graduate Kate Poore receives her 'Student of the Year 2006' award from the chairman of The Society of Garden Designers, Andrew Fisher Tomlin. Details of Kate's winning design appear lower down on this page.

You can also read an article about the SGD competition, published in Garden Design Journal (Dec 06 issue) by clicking here

STUDENTS SAY WHY THEY CHOSE GDS DIPLOMA

Every year we conduct a detailed survey among our students to assess exactly why they decided to do their training at Garden Design School. The message from this year's students is loud and clear: 86% said that the quality of teaching and the content of the course were the two most important factors in their decision. Students gave several other reasons for choosing GDS: "being taught by current, practicing, successful garden designers", "assessment by coursework rather than exams" and "meeting a former student at a GDS taster day was very useful". The fact that the GDS Diploma can be fitted around other professional and domestic commitments was also important to several students. They said: "attending college one day a week means I can carry on working" and "timescale - a one year intensive course appealed to me".

THE CLASS OF 2006

Students who complete the GDS Diploma Course in Garden Design attend a special graduation ceremony at the college in September. As well as receiving their Diplomas, students enjoy this relaxed, happy occasion, which celebrates the conclusion of a hard year’s training. The event also provides a wonderful opportunity for fellow trainees to meet up again, swap ideas and discuss the many garden design projects they are working on. The picture below shows the students able to attend this year’s ceremony.

NEW SUBJECT FOR GDS DIPLOMA COURSE

Garden Design School’s directors are always looking at the structure and content of the Diploma Course to ensure that it gives students the best possible preparation for pursuing a career in garden design.  Because of its increasing importance for garden designers, we are including the subject of planning on our syllabus for the first time this year (summer term 2006). This module will address issues such as planning legislation and procedures, the consents required for changes to access and the laws affecting boundaries and proposed structures. It will also include essential information regarding high hedges, hedgerows, tree preservation orders and other planning constraints.

A new guest lecturer, Mike Gerrard, is a leading expert in this field and will host our main session on planning. You can read more about him here.

STUDENT ELIZA MAKES A SPLASH IN BATH

Eliza Gray is currently taking the GDS Diploma in Garden Design and will graduate in July 2006. She has already started up in business as a freelance garden designer, launched her own website and put in bids for several design projects. In an article published in the Bath Chronicle (March 4th), she explains how she got the bug for gardening, turned her back on the world of advertising, started a family, studied hard and is now honing her garden design skills at GDS.

You can read the article here.

GDS PRINCIPALS LAUNCH NEW WEBSITES

Co-founders and principal lecturers at Garden Design School, Robin Templar Williams and Moira Farnham, are also established, experienced and highly successful garden designers. Both run their own design consultancy businesses and have just launched new websites which show the enormous breadth of their talent.

To visit Moira’s website, click here.
To visit Robin’s website, click here.


MOIRA FARNHAM GIVES ROUND-UP OF 2005 IN GDJ