Member Article

Women encouraged to grow a career in landscaping after social media post goes viral

The owner of the North East’s largest plant centre is encouraging women to consider a landscaping and horticulture career after a viral text exchange highlighted outdated views Simon Wilkinson, the managing director of Wilkinsons Landscapes, has come forward to tell women there is absolutely a place for them in the industry, after a viral social media post. The images showed a female applicant being rejected from a landscaping job for an astonishing reason – she was deemed “too weak” for the physically demanding work. Shockingly, the rejection also suggested she would not be able to handle the workload unless she were a bodybuilder. The exchange, which took place in 2021, has recently been revived on social media platforms, gaining attention with millions of likes and countless comments from both supporters and detractors. Simon Wilkinson, the second generation of his family to operate the busy landscaping company, said: “Landscaping is a field of artistry and creativity, not a test of physical strength. Yes, you need to be relatively physically fit, but you definitely don’t need to be a bodybuilder. “Landscaping businesses, like many sectors, is crying out for workers. The last thing we need to be doing is telling half the population that they are immediately illegible to join the industry due to their gender. It’s really disheartening to think that there may be someone out there who might have picked up a trowel and joined us but has been put off by this small minded individual. “We are always looking for talented and passionate people to join Wilkinsons Landscapes, regardless of their background, and would love more women to consider a career with us. I am speaking with a few different organisations about how the North East can do more to provide proper horticultural education and training, which I hope will encourage more people, of all genders, to come into a very rewarding and interesting business.”

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