GARDENER Josh Stephenson has blossomed from humble apprentice to a full-time member of intu Trafford Centre staff – thanks to what he describes as a ‘brilliantly supportive team’.

Josh, aged 20, from Lambourn Road in Urmston, began work at intu Trafford Centre 18 months ago, aiming to complete his level two diploma in horticulture.

Since then he’s passed intensive exams on turf, plant varieties and cultivars – and learned a whole roster of Latin plant names that even has his colleagues impressed.

“I’ve loved the outdoors since I was a child, and I don’t mind rain, snow or sleet at all,” says Josh. “My only bugbear is litter – but then that bothers everyone on my team, we hate it!”

Josh comes from a family of green-fingered people, and even shares an allotment with his twin brother which last year cropped apples, courgettes, sweetcorn, garlic and herbs.

But it is in the macro-scale world of destination gardening that Josh has really proven his worth, harvesting both useful qualifications - and a boosted self-confidence.

Josh added: “My fellow team members in environmental services helped me enormously with my course work, but they also boosted my confidence enough to ask for even further training, which has been great. My next step is to get my first-aid certificate under my belt.”

Well-travelled basketball fan Josh has been to the Amazon, and it was here that he discovered his favourite plant of all – the giant “pine de mondo”, upon which native tribes people tap out messages that are carried for miles through the rain-forest canopy.

But even more exotic are Josh’s green dreams for intu Trafford Centre.

“If I could design anything in the world for intu Trafford Centre, it would be an amazing roof-top garden.

“It would look great from above, and also be a very environmentally-friendly way to green even more of our space. I think green roofs are the future!”

Josh is also excited to be planting a parade of poppy displays for this year’s WW1 commemorations, and learning how to operate more of the powerful vehicles that are essential to the landscaping team.

“I love the way that so many people get to see my work, and lots of them stop to talk about what we are doing, which is a lovely way to interact with our customers! I’m so grateful to my colleagues for helping to get me to this stage.”

Doreen Hutton, manager of Environmental Services at Trafford added: “Josh has been a joy to work with ever since we first took him on, and I’m over the moon that he’s graduated into a full-time member of staff.

“His skills and talents are perfect for the role, and to see a young hopeful getting on in his chosen career is so gratifying for everyone on Josh’s team, including me!”