A job (or two) well done

But one family within a family is the Nelsons at Blore Hall, HPB’s Peak District home. Carol Nelson has been site manager at Blore since the site opened in May 1998 – assisted for the last decade or more by son Nick. Gardener and maintenance man Nick, 33, can and does turn his hand to anything, be it changing a lightbulb, redecorating an apartment or retiling a roof. But he freely admits his first love is horticulture. Nick, 33, trained at Broomfield Agricultural College and is extremely knowledgeable about ecology and animal habitats. He has developed wild life areas around the site featuring naturalistic planting. Nick says it’s a balancing act. “I propagate my own plants here, and I’m also keen on sourcing rare breeds; euphorbias and hellebores grow well. At the same time, I like to encourage wild gardens; we grow lots of plants to attract insects, and we have lots of fish and other fauna in our ponds, which attract herons and moorhens.” Of his ‘other’ job… Nick tries to reserve the bigger tasks for the winter, when there’s less to be done outside. “It’s just as satisfying, in its own way,” he avers. “A Bondholder’s holiday can be immeasurably improved, just by fixing a dripping tap!”.