A project that works to improve the job prospects of unemployed people has reached a milestone — after its first green-fingered members gained horticulture qualifications.

Sean Minogue and Steven Hayes were the first to achieve an NVQ Level 1 through the Estate Rangers of Breightmet programme, co-ordinated by Bolton at Home’s Breightmet UCAN team.

The scheme provides practical work experience in gardening and landscaping for people who are unemployed, and delivers training and support leading to formal qualifications.

Mr Minogue, aged 44, said: “I suffered from depression for years. Then I started coming to the UCAN centre and began to open up. I’d done a bit of gardening before, and I liked the idea of giving this a go when it was put to me. The rest is history.

“One of the best things has been working outside in the fresh air. You could say this journey’s taken me from darkness to light.”

Mr Hayes, aged 48, added: “I was using the UCAN centre already and this opportunity sounded really good. I knew I’d get something meaningful from it. I had experience of gardening and landscaping so enjoyed what we were doing to keep areas tidy, like weeding, clearing and mowing.

“Physical work keeps me feeling fit and the other side has been interesting too, like learning more about health and safety. I want to carry it on and get more experience.”

The primary goal of the Estate Rangers project is to increase employability, but it also works to improve the area by attending to community food growing sites, communal areas, and residents’ gardens.

Both Mr Minogue and Mr Hayes are hoping to carry on working with Estate Rangers and two more Breightmet residents are currently half way through the programme.

Writer and photographer Len Grant, who has been capturing the stories of people from the estate over the past 12 months in his acclaimed ‘As Rare as Rubies’ blog, said: “Estate Rangers encapsulates what the UCAN centre is about. It gives individual support to people on the estate to achieve what they want to achieve.”

The programme is supported by the Mojo Trust, formerly BoltonWise, which trains unemployed people in all things horticulture.