NIna Stanesby of the Dartmouth Apprentice

Hi there, Nina here, manager of the Dartmouth Apprentice, the only training restaurant for the long-term unemployed in Devon.

Welcome to our weekly newsletter, with news of our training schemes, upcoming events and some of the interesting things going on at the restaurant, housed in the converted church of St Barnabas on the way to Dartmouth Castle, overlooking the town’s harbour.

Christmas – Have YOU started planning?

We have just put together our Christmas menu! I know it must seem a little early, but in the catering industry, as we teach our apprentices, you need to be prepared! Hence Adam Parnham, our head chef, putting together this beauty of a menu for our Christmas party season:

Starters

Smooth duck pate, cumberland sauce, melba toast

Baked portabella mushrooms, Devon blue glaze, chestnut puree

Smoked salmon and spinach roulade, horseradish cream and

homemade bread

Main Course

Roast turkey breast and leg, goose fat potatoes, squash puree,

sprouts and pancetta, chestnut stuffing, thyme reduction, cranberry sauce

Baked fillet of salmon, saffron sauce, dill pesto, crushed potatoes

Wild mushroom and Sharpham brie wellington, squash puree,

green beans, roasted new potatoes

Dessert

Apprentice Christmas pudding, brandy sauce

Chocolate and chestnut torte, Devon clotted cream

Spiced poached pear, shortbread, Christmas pudding ice cream

If that’s whetted your appetite, give the restaurant a call on 01803 837820 or email me on nina@trainingforlife.org to book.

New Apprentices

This week we have started our new scheme for apprentices –20 apprentices will spend one month working towards a food hygiene certificate while also working in the restaurant or in the kitchen. They will spend no more than 16 hours a week and will still receive Jobseeker’s Allowance.

At the end of the month, ten will be chosen to work at the restaurant, and will complete the Apprentice’s own ‘Blueprint to Work’ Scheme, which builds confidence and life skills to help get and keep a job. The ten will also start an NVQ Level 2 in either customer service or professional cookery.

This is a huge opportunity for all of this 20 – and they are all working hard for us at the moment. I am working with all of them in training, and I have to say I am impressed by their tenacity and determination to succeed.

Every time you come to eat with us at Dartmouth Apprentice, you are helping the long-term unemployed to work their way back up. Thank you!

Grand Gala Fundraiser – November 5

The fundraiser will feature Ian Bloomfield of Opera on the Run fame giving a performance that is unique as it is ‘Secret’ and, indeed, ‘Special’! All will be revealed on the night – but for £35 you get Ian, two  courses of sumptuous food and a drink on arrival.

The fundraiser is being organised to support our training programme, to make sure we give all our apprentices the best possible chance to find employment when they finish with us after six months training, confidence building and experience of a bustling work environment.

Every time you come to the apprentice in Dartmouth you are helping, but by coming on November 5 you can make an even bigger impact than normal – please come down and invite your friends!

Twitter, Facebook and blog

For news updates and details of our training and events, like us on Facebook, follow us on twitter and subscribe to our blog.

See you soon,

Nina x

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We train those who have been out of work in the skills of the hospitality industry, in the kitchen and serving in our restaurant, and offer NVQs to all our full apprentices.

This newsletter keeps you updated on the new events, training schemes and special offers available at the Apprentice, based in St Barnabas Church, overlooking Dartmouth harbour in the South West’s most beautiful town.

Grand Gala Fundraiser – Have Fun while Fundraising!

Our upcoming gala fundraiser on November 5 is going to be brilliant – thanks to Ian Bloomfield of Opera on the Run and an amazing menu from our head chef Adam Parnham.

But more than that, just by coming you are supporting the training of our apprentices.

Apprentices like Jade and Abi:

She came to us having found work hard to come by since moving to Dartmouth from her native Somerset. She had been out of work for more than six months when I took her on after a great interview in January 2011.

Never having worked in hospitality before she took to it like a duck to water, and did very well in her Blueprint to Work training and achieved a NVQ level 2 in Customer Service during her time here.

Just after she finished with us she went for and got a job working in the Berry Head Hotel in Brixham. She’s just finished her first month there and she tells me she loves it!

Abi is a single mum who had not worked for more than a year when she came to us. Her can-do attitude, friendly demeanour and determination to be professional and productive have paid dividends.

After excelling in her NVQ level 3 supervisor qualification, she has shown great ability in building a team and running the restaurant floor smoothly.

For all this we had no hesitation in giving her an interview for a permanent position as restaurant floor manager at the end of her six month apprenticeship – and she came through it with flying colours! She took up the role in August and is doing really well.

What we do is simple – we raise people’s confidence and give them skills through training which allow them to go out and find work for themselves.

We have a can do attitude and try and mix real-life experience with strong training elements which all our apprentices to move on to new work thanks to their job skills and willingness to take on new challenges.

Every time you eat at our restaurant you help the apprentices who serve you with real-life experiences.

This gala is an opportunity to have a great night out, see some amazing entertainment, and participate in a success story – the ongoing success story of our apprentices and the way the Dartmouth Apprentice works to help them.

Devon Jobcentre Plus have just chosen us as a partner to work with them on the Flexible Support Fund  – and thanks to this 20 new apprentices start this coming week on a new apprenticeship scheme.

Come along, tickets are only £35 for the entertainment, a three course banquet and a drink on arrival.

Tickets are going fast, for a night of explosive opera on fireworks night!

Hope to see you there!

Ninax

Nina Stanesby, manager of the Dartmouth Apprentice, where 20 new apprentices will begin a new training scheme in September 2011

Dartmouth Apprentice training restaurant is teaming up with Jobcentre Plus to give 20 jobseekers the skills and support they need to find work.

Jade Sillwood, who has graduated from Dartmouth Apprentice's training programme and has found a permanent job

Abigail York, who has been training at the restaurant, which is housed in the converted church if St Barnabas on the way to Dartmouth Castle, as a front-of-house staff member and PA to  restaurant manager and trainer Nina Stanesby.

This week she has been chosen as the restaurant floor manager, taking responsibility for the smooth operation of the restaurant during service, as well as ordering, booking and being in charge of some event management details.

A single-mum, who came to the Apprentice having been out of work for more than 18months, Abigail has been a strong member of the staff team from the moment she arrived and has been focussed on making sure every customer gets fantastic service.

She has also taken and passed her Level 3 NVQ in Team leadership, which has helped her become eligible for the full time position at the restaurant.

‘I’m delighted to have been chosen to take on this role,’ said Abigail. ‘I was very low on confidence when I came here, having been out of work for so long. The training and the camaraderie has helped me to get my confidence back and feel strong enough to go for this role. By working here full time I am building skills and giving myself a future through a career in hospitality. I’m so grateful for all the Apprentice has done for me.’

Dartmouth Apprentice Manager Nina Stanesby said: ‘Abigail has done very well and thoroughly deserves this position. We want to help people to find full time employment – but normally we are seeing people leave to go onto new positions. Its lovely to retain a great worker like Abigail as part of our team full time.’

We had many lovely people from Dartmouth up for the launch of this beautiful book by Nigel Evans, published by Richard Webb – including Simon Drew, Dartmouth Mayor Paul Allen, Nigel Way MBE and district coucillor Hilary Bastone.

It was a great event, thanks to everyone who came down, and well done to Nigel and Richard on the book – its beautiful!

Dear John & Nina,

Best Wishes
Louisa & Simon x

Dart Marina

This is our new blog dedicated to news in and around the beautiful South Devon  coastal town of Dartmouth together with latest information about our luxury holiday Dart Apartments

Dartmouth is steeped in  history and today is one of the South Hams most attractive towns. It is filled with narrow winding streets, ancient buildings and offers a great choice of fine shops, restaurants, bars and bistros. With the nearby Devon attractions of Dittersham, Dartmoor, Salcombe and Totnes  it is easy to understand why Dartmouth is such a great place for holidays and short breaks.

Our holiday apartment is located at Dart Marina which is a small, select development of luxury apartments and holiday homes. With uninterrupted views of the beautiful river Dart the apartments and houses provide a stunning opportunity to experience a luxury holiday home or short break in historic Dartmouth.

Adam is from Australia and the local B&B was invaded by family and friends who flew over to celebrate with him.  After their wedding rehearsal I heard that that Adam and mates bumped into the church choir in the pub and conducted them in a rousing chorus of Waltzing Matilda.

Alex was supported by seven beautiful bridesmaids and was radiant the whole day long.
Here my favourite 30 images from the hundreds Nina and I delivered documenting their wonderful day.

Best wishes
Sara and Simon

I was lucky enough to be invited to spend the weekend with friends who have a house in Devon near Salcombe. This part of Devon, for those of who don’t know it, is gorgeous. It’s called South Hams and the area is very green and pretty with its own microclimate which makes it a very popular holiday destination. It’s also a wonderful coastline for sailing as there are lots of picturesque towns and villages along the coast with marinas or mooring facilities. I have spent many a happy weekend pootling out to sea from Dartmouth, once sailing down to the beautiful Helford River in Cornwall, calling in at Salcombe, Fowey, Newton Ferrers, Bigbury on Sea and Burgh Island…all fabulous places.

Last weekend, the weather wasn’t brilliant – there were big black clouds but it didn’t rain despite the threatening sky and we had a wonderful time anyway. We even had a barbecue despite the cold wind. Well, the chaps barbecued and we ladies stayed inside…

On Saturday,we walked from Gara Rock round to Salcombe, a fairly vertiginous cliff path in parts but I kept my mind off the scary sheer drops by taking photographs of the stunning scenery. Click all images to enlarge.

The start of the walk at Gara Rock

It was especially scenic as the cliffs were covered in bluebells and other wild flowers.

The wind can be very fierce as you can see from the shape of this wind swept tree.

The path did come perilously close to the cliff edge at times…

Eventually as we walked along into Salcombe, we walked along the estuary and past sandy beaches. The sea was bright turquoise despite (or because of) the back clouds gathering overhead.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, on Monday morning when I opened the curtains to begin packing to go home, I was confronted by this…clear blue skies and sunshine.

The other excitement in my life has been the small matter of the General Election. Utterly absorbing and for once, completely riveting. I have never watched so much news or read so many newspapers as I have during the last few weeks. I resorted to checking the live election blogs of the Guardian and the Times online news web sites on my iPhone so I could follow the wheeling and dealing going on over the weekend while I was away. I went up to London by train on Tuesday and all the conversations were of the election. I have never known the country to be so gripped by politics.

And now we are left with the election for the new leader of the Labour party to entertain us. As I write the only candidates are the ‘Mili-band of brothers’ (not my joke I’m afraid, but I’m happy to steal it) which should interesting. Then I really must get back to work….

The rain came down when we left the church but it didn’t manage to dampen the day. I did have to break out my white umbrellas as South Brent lived up to its damp reputation. However, by the time we reached Dartington Hall the sun was shining and Suzanne and James enjoyed some romantic time-out in a lovely sunny garden.