Blenheim Palace to launch partnership with Against The Grain, Alternative Learning Provision

Blenheim Palace is delighted to provide a home for West-Oxfordshire based Alternative Learning Provision, Against The Grain. The charity work with local young people, including those with special educational needs, social, emotional and mental health needs, and those at risk of exclusion or not currently in education.

Using a trauma-informed approach, Against The Grain will deliver learning opportunities for young people, in the heart of Blenheim Estate, upskilling them to attain qualifications. They will also deliver skill-based sessions for the wider local community of West Oxfordshire.

Jack and Kizzy Thorne, Co-Founders and Directors, said: “We are extremely grateful to Blenheim for providing Against The Grain with a home to encourage the engagement of local West-Oxfordshire young people in positive activities and improving their wellbeing, as well as developing valuable skills and promoting further education and employment.

“Our partnership with Blenheim showcases many possible futures to the young people we work with, from horticulture and gardening to ecology and forestry, immersing them in the opportunities that Blenheim and their home of West Oxfordshire has to offer. We aspire to train local young people into local careers, encouraging happy and healthy lives, and thank Blenheim for this incredible opportunity.”

Rachel Furness-Smith, Head of Estates, said: “Building on our successful partnership with Farmability, we were delighted to be approached by Against The Grain, to extend our community provision to young people in West Oxfordshire. We want to give young people rural land management skills, which complements our Apprenticeship scheme, and to do so in a farm setting where they can see all the many career opportunities open to them.”

If you are an education provider and would like more information on this project,
please email [email protected] or visit, www.againstthegraincic.org.uk

ENDS